The Washington times., 1913-04-14
M'GR.AW PRAISES
WALTER JOHNSON
Declares Watching Him TWr Is Like Admring Wonderful Pic
ture or Some Other Work of Art-CIimbers' Park
.ss Will Dry Rapidly Once DeIuge Stops.
By SENATOR"

going to quit in his stand against pay
Ing $4,000 to the greatest batsman Of
them all. He can look back to the
stand Charlie Comiskev made in 1909.
big Ed Walsh came out for a large
Sox had copped the pennant in 1905. and
had been in the thick Of the fight the
following two seasons Walsh had done
yeoman work all these years and SO
became a holdout in 1905
Appeals to Fans.
Comiskey felt that, despite the three
fat years before. he was unable to
grant Walsh's demands. He explained
this to the twirler, but the latter re-
manned at home. The White Sox lost
steadily for want of Walsh In the box.
Then Charlie Comiskey made a ten
strike. He appealed to the fans. Per-
haps he took chance in doing this,
but he was surprised to find that the
fans were with him. They wanted the
White Sox to win ball games. but they
were not with well-paid player whose
absence was causing defeats.
There are two sides to all this salary
matter, anyway. you know. Undoubt-
all he can. But, on the other hand
when the magnate boosts prices Cor
admission to the great coliseums Of the
modern day, they feel the bite and
howl with pain. Yet. the players could
never get their present salaries at the
shown in Philadelphia. This year the
prices have been jumped there. The
fans don't like 1t. despite their two
worlds championship in the last three
years.
Tommy Rice. the gifted critic of the
Brooklyn Eagle. hits new angle when
he says:
Blame higher prices on the fans
themselves. They always take the part
OF the holdout >lub owners often grant
a raise fearing that the fans might rise
In arms. Anyway, the fan doesn't care
whether the club owners cut UP 800, 900
at the end of a season or IL cents.
Their pet Is the player. the boy that
they see wallop the ball with the bases
full or blank team Of hard hitters.
Is Selfish Proposition.
They want to see him get all the
money he can, and they think he is
worth every cent he wants, because
they don't have to pay the salary In
their hero worship they forget about
expenses. interest charges. etc. Why,
only the other day several thousand
Chicago fans petitioned c. W. Murphy
to meet Jimmy Archer's salary de-
mands
Now that the owners have been
aries every season. the fans are asked
to go down In their pockets and pay
the increase in the salaries Of the
players they have been plugging"
II costs money to run modern big
league ball team. The magnate fire.
start season. particularly II his team
has not been successful for a few years
in a row. And it is positively funny
sometimes to hear a clerk earning SIS q
week rising in his wrath and demand
ing that kid Biffer be given his IS, 900
for six months work."
Ball players are entitled to all they
can get, true. But most Of them are
getting a little cake with their large
amount OF bread.
Quirk In Rules.
A peculiar mix-up Is caused by the
new rules governing baseball. and Is
shown by the Detroit club. Because
of the agreement between the two tig
leagues. the Tigers must keep an ordi-'
nary player and let a better one go
back to the bushes.
Jennings has two young catchers,
Gibson and Mckee. Mckee was drafted
and Gibson was purchased. Jennings
considers Gibson the better catcher. AS
a general thing. Gibson would be re-
tained and Mckee sent back. How
ever. IL President Navin asks for waiv-
ers on Mckee, all title to the player
may be lost, for any CLUB can claim
him. and the Tigers will not be allowed
to withdraw its waivers. -Four clubs
have put in drafts for him already.
There isn't much of chance OF his
going.
On the other hand. Mckee needs more
seasoning. If the Tigers want TO get
rid of him, they may lose him forever
and kick themselves when some other
club develops him into q star. Base
ball laws are strange things some times