The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-06
TOMMY ON STRIKE
Outfielder of the Topeka Team
Tries Hold Up Game.
Attempts to Hike His Contract
Price and Fails.
TURNS In HIS SUIT.
Says He Will Go to Home at
Liberty, Mo.
Manager Moore Sorry to Lose
Little Fielder.
TURNS In HIS SUIT.

1nOIndSOn, n1IlllS
leader of the league and sensational
fielder, struck today. Rolling his two
uniforms into a neat roll he carried
them to the baseball headquarters.
He found no one in so he left them in
an adjoining office. And he has not
gone back after them
"They are not going to give me the
worst of it any more,'' declared
Thomson. By which statement he
meant the worst of the salary propo-
sition, and in that brief statement
was years of tribulation. An angry
determined look was in Tommys eye
but there were tears in his voice. In
all the grand ball he has played he has
never been appreciated, he thinks,
and never has gotten the pay he de-
serves. He draws $500 month and
demands $3.50.
Probably, very likely in fact, Tommy
does everybody. But if most men
knew how much more salary Tommy
gets than they do, they would go hang
themselves. And it is these same
poor dubs that hand him that which
he calls too little. A baseball play
er's salary is one of the worst inflated
things in the business world today.
Thomson held out on the manage
ment for a month or more last spring.
Then he came to Topeka to look over
lovely signed up his contract and said:
Everything is fine here this season
and 1 am going to give Topeka all I've
got I want to go back up andI am
gong to do my very best"
But the old bug returned and has
been buzzing in his bonnet for the
last month. His rise to the hitting
pinnacle and pair of beautiful
catches yesterday seem to have
maid Tommy tOO little n1aUerS' SAL
aries go. He gave him $50 a month.
But Cooley turned Tommy from a
class c pitcher to a class A outfielder
and probably thought he ought to
keep something for himself.
Moore announced when he signed
Tommy that he had advanced his sal
airy $50, so there you are. Figure for
yourself what Tommy is kicking on.
Just how much more he wants is not
known.
Here is what Moore said about the
loss of his star outfielder today, 81
had a lot of correspondence with
Thomason last winter, but we did not
seem to be able to get near each 9TH
er. Then he came here to see me and
1 gave him a nice increase with which
he seemed to be very we'll satisfied /
also gave him advance money to help
him along until the season opened.
hate to see him take this stand just
when the club is going good, because
I never knew a young player whom I
liked as we'll as I do Thomson. In
return, Tommy is not treating me fair.
He is using this method to try to get
more money than his contract calls
for-the contract with which he seem
ed to be we'll pleased and for which
he said he would do everything to
help win ball games"
Maybe some people will think I
am doing wrong in this" said Thoma-
son, but / am asking for nothing but
lxxyHo 6nCax-Un / signed
contract 1 understood no one on the
club would get more money than that
That's why I signed. Now 1 find that
there are men here drawing more
than I am and 1 don't believe they
earn more.
Il asked for $3.50 because Cooley
promised me that if I would sign last
fall 1 refused because I thought he
was trying to beat me out of 500.
Moore said the club could not go that
| high this year and so I signed for
what I understood was going to be
the limit.
II hate this affair worse than any
one, but 1 can't let them treat me like
that all my life; I would rather play
here than anywhere in the world, but
I Just can't take the little end of it al
ways"
1t can be conceded easily enough
that Thomason is at least as valuable
as any one on the club and it is to be
| regretted tnaL ne cOulu NOT nave SoI-
Item a better contract when others did.
but it is just as evident that the man
agement can not go to work in the
middle of the season and rehash their
salaries.
Tommy says he will go to his home
| in Liberty, Mo.
Roy Beecher will play the field in
his place today and so far as previous
indications have doped it, Beecher
will play the field as we'll as many
outfielders in the circuit. Cy Landreth
seems to have hit the town at the
right time if the Kaws only had some
one to trade for him.