The Detroit times., 1911-02-09

| letters Whlcn cause sharp pains In the
vitals. Players
lied on as certain r,,. u.ors
ties FOR the coming on 4 nIsU
season are picking MAGNATE
up good jobs and
retiring from the game. other ie-
pendable athletes are reporting them
selves in need of funds after a long
winter of idleness. Still more are Hat
| ~ stating that the salaries offered
do not suit. Only once in a while does
the magnate receive the long envelope
whose presence Immediately implies
the arrival of that rare document, a
signed contract.
I'm finding il harder than ever 10
sign up my team this year." says A.
5. Burkhart, of Detroit, who is the
owner and hacker OF the Saginaw
club in the South Michigan league.
Things have come TO such a pass
that the best sort OF protection doesn't
do me much good when one OF those
cute boys starts out to trim me.
DO yon know that there are 50
Class ID leagues In the United States
and Canada now? Every oen of the m
is out trying to get players and most
stockholders to whom money Is only
an incidental object and the salary
limit proposition an absolute stranger.
When ] have an argument over
salary with one OF my men what does
he do? Why he merely starts CORE
spending with some league in South
Carolina or Calgary. tells EN- what
he can do and gets the high dollar
out there. Unless | accidentally hear
OF his move, I'm left without a man
for a position | had considered filed,
| and have TO dig something up In the
bushes TO take his place.
Here's a letter, just for instance,
from Joe Campbell, my star outfleld.
er OF two years ago and the only real
outfielder ! had last year. In 1910 he
hit poorer and ran the bases with less
speed than In 1909. have offered him
the same pay he had last year. Back
he comes with a letter demanding a
raise OF $50 a month and telling me
that, II l don't come across, he'll get
the money somewhere else and 1t
won't be amateur ball, either.
Probably I'll lose him and, along
in August, III hear that he's playing
ball out in New Mexico under the
name of Spoopendyke. My only re
dress will be TO put him under sus-
pension and the National commission
is kicking because, several weeks
ago, had 90 men on the blacklist, all
of them for just such offenses as this,
or worse.
"A magnate Is surely between the
devil and the deep sea when he is try
ing to reconcile hts players with their
pay and the league authorities with
his salary limit And the cause Ia
the absence OF business principles on
SO many league ball teams. The
gangs of citizen stockholders. out to
get a winner regardless OF expense or
financial loss. makes baseball a
mighty poor game for the individual
owner of club who hopes to make
his profits little larger than his ex
Ipenses. And the enormous growth oi
baseball of the minor league character
In the past five years, Is what makes
the protection proposition SO difficult
TO enforce
Incidentally, IL recollection serves
Mr.. Wolgast---who. Mr.. Moran com
plains. seldom fights--has had two
lively battles since Mr.. Moran himself
responded to the call fthe gong
There is a consistency about these
lpugs that Is sometimes delightfully."-
refreshing.
Somebody asked Eddie Glassco
tWindsor's affable provider of athletic
sports. IL Joe Phillips, the Italian won
der, could talk good English. Mr.
Glassco said:
"Oh, yes, He tlaks perfectly ele
CANT. The only trouble is that he
doesn't understand what he says"
Cadillac Is one OF the most widely