Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-12
ANNUAL TEMPTATION
FOR COLLEGE MEN
Lure of Professionalism Is Great and
Honest to Goodness Amateur
Has Hard Time.
By Hal Sheridan.
Written for the United Press.l

New York, June IA terrible ca
tastrophe is upon us. 1t happens every
year, being more regular than the visit
of the seven-year locusts, but in view
of certain upheavals during the past
year it brings a new sting. With
voices Hom the sidelines urgirg that
the secret be spilled, we refer to the
closing of the regular college year and
the turning loose throughout the coun-
| try of several thousand student-base-
ball players who will be tempted sore
ly to risk fate and take upon them
selves-on the Q. T., Of course-the
terrible blight of professionalism. -
Sport was certainly on the blink and
seldom or never on the first pages
when those immortal lines asking,
"What is so rare as a day in June, "
were penned, or the answer would have
been obvious to a blind man. A real
honest t0-soodness emateur is the an.
swer. Such parsonage is rarer than
two days in June, or than twelve hours
in June Which settles that point, but
doesn't settle the question of summer
playing by college men.
Some Of the bush league and semi
professional clubs throughout the coun-
try are likely to make some shifts
and take on new strength during the
next few weeks, and though we would
never suggest outright that the new
bloOds were fresh from the halls Of
learning, it isn't going too far to
opne casually that although the names
will not be similar, there will be re.
semblances between some of these new
semi-professiona players and certain
college baseball stars of whom we wot
that would be startling TO the erstwhile
college chums Of these players.
And this brings us to another turn
in the road. Insofar as their stand
ing in athletic circles is concerned, why
shouldn Z college man play ball dur
ing the summer months with as much
safety from being ruled out of college
sport as would be accorded the college
man who drives a truck during the
summer2 It's a foolish question and
you don't have to answer.
As a matter of fact, the harder you
look for the fine line of demonstra-
tion between professional and
amateur" athletes, the dinner it be.
comes. There are hundreds, possibly
thousands Of students who are working
their way through college. Some of
them are good ball players During
the vacation months they must rustic
enough wherewithal to carry them
through the next term.
To earn this money they may drive
trucks, dig in sewers, work on section
gangs, clerk, or do anything but play
ball. If they accept money for playing
ball-and are found out-they are
dubbed professional" and are barred
from all future competition in college
or any kind of amateur sports.
At the opening of every football sea,
son dozen or more PLAYERS, frankly
admit that they have spent the sum.
! mer working in the Kansas wheat
fields throwing a sledge with a6rail-
road construction gang, or what not
chiefly to get into condition 1t is
taken for granted that these men were
paid for the work they did to get them
selves into physical shape to play foot
ball! Now when you ruminate over
these instances it does seem a bit fool
ish that baseball player can't keeT
himself in condition by taking a small
job with some bush league team dur
ing the summer.
A baseball man might plead thai
g he wanted to play summer ball in or
der to condition himself for the next
season, but he couldn' t get away will
it. lie might swear he didn I receiv,
cent Of money for his job, but few
, would believe him. And what yell
there would be from the stone quarries
section gangs and blacksmith shop
. where the football players were con
ditioning themselves, if they had to d,