The Washington herald., 1913-10-24
NATIONALSIAND
Minor FARMS
Griffith Enters Into Working
Agreement with Atlanta and
Los Angeles Clubs.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
CEmbers' Young Pitchers Sent Home.
Good Results Are Obtained.
News and Comment.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
BY WILLIAM PEET.

BY WILLIAM PEET.
Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast
League and the Atlanta club of the
Southern League will be closely affiliated
with the Nationals next year.
Manager Griffith yesterday completed
arrangements with Billy Smith, the At,
lanta pilot, whereby the Washington
club enters into a working agreement
with the Crackers, and during the worlds
series the Old Fox and Henry Berry,
president Of the Los Angeles team, came
TO similar terms.
In affiliating with Atlanta and Los
Angeles Griffith, obtains a two-fold adj
vantage. First, he is able to send any
hall player who needs more experience
10 a good minor league club, and sec
Ondly, the Climbers get the pick Of these
teams before the drafting season opens.
Griff has under his wing lot of
promising material, including several
Pitchers who need only a little more ex-
perieQce to fit them for major league
company, and a railroad ticket to either
Atlanta or the Coast will be all that is
necessary to accomplish this.
Last year the Nationals worked hand
in glove with Atlanta. Griff sent half
dozen players down, and pulled back
three promising youngsters, one of whom
local fans have already seen, wig: Slim
Love, the lanky southpaw.
Bill Kenworthy and Moran were also
shipped to Los Angeles last year, and
both made good, while an announcement
shortly after the drafts were announced
this fall stated that Washington had sold
to Los Angeles Pitchers Barton and Al
trOcs; Outfielders CalvO and Spencer.
Justt what players Atlanta will draw
from the Nationals before the 1914 sea-
son opens is not known. but it is safe
to say that Billy Smith will be well
taken care of, as was the case last year.
when Ed Dent, Harry Welchonce, Price,
Agler, Tommy Long, and others were
handed on by the Old Fox.
Manager Griffith is perfectly satisfied
with the experiment of keeping his
young pitchers here for three weeks
after the championship season closed.
The squad was sent home last Saturday.
but the results obtained were pleasing
10 the Old Fox.
While Griff refused to express an
opinion as to the respective merits of
his young fingers, he made no bones of
saying that Shaw and Bentley looked
particularly promising and that he eX-
pected much from them next year.
According to President Stein, OF the
BuffaIO club. Owner Gaffney, of the
season offered $500 and another player
for Catcher walIy Schang, who per-
formed so brilliantly for the Athletics
in the recent worlds series.
'.Schang was drafted from the Buffalo
baseball club by the Athletics" said Mr..
Stein, for $500. Just ten days be-
fore the time for the draft to begin
James Gaffpey, owner of the Boston
National League team, came to Buffalo
and begged me to sell him Schang.
He offered me 800 in cash and an
other player, but I would not accept the
offer. knew that if 1 sold him 1 you'd
also lose Jameson, if not another man,
for as only one player is drawn in draft,
as soon as one is sold outright the big
Hague club can draw another man.
II thought maybe I could save Schang.
But to nv astonishment there were just
thirteen drafts for him, and Connie Mack.
who, by the way, was the very last man
to put in an offer for him and then only
because Johnny Dunn, of Baltimore, keet
after him, turned out to be the lucky
man.
The National Commission has decided
to extirpate all player-writing during the
active season, at least, by the incorpora-
ton in the regular form of players con-
tract for next year of clause prohibit
ing the party of the second part, the
player, from writing or selling the use
of his name to newspapers or other pub
locations during the playing season.
There should be no objection TO this-in-
deed. there cannot be, considering the
admission by many of the player
2 authors of the undesirability. to say the
least, of the practice they have hereto
fore indulged in, for comparatively little
money in all cases. and often merely as
personal favor to a friendly scribe.
A plan calling for a month of inter-
league games starting. the first of Sep
tember with each club in the National
League meeting each club in the Ameri-
can League. playing two games at home
and two abroad, is to be presented to
the>next meeting of the National League
by President Barney Dreyfuss of the
Pirates
The plan as formulated by the chief
official Of the Corsair Club does not mean
that the worlds series would be abol-
ished- Indeed, the author of the plan
declares that this should remain as it is.
The purpose simply is to keep up the
interest in baseball among the fans OF
the losing clubs in September by intro
ducing new teams and new faces.
las things are at present" said Presi-
.dent Dreyfuss, ''only the peEnant win.
ming clubs and the runners-up make fail
profits during the closing weeks of the
race, and in some cities when the teams
trail early the loss in profits starts be
fore nidseason. With the Introduction
of the interleague games the interest
would be stimulated.
81 have no fear that these games as
suggested by me would take the edge OF
the interest in the big series. Even If II
does the two clubs that wax fat on these
games could afford to fall of little fol
the benefit Of the other fourteen clubs
in the league. The two pennant-winnina
clubs of the regular season could come
together in the fall Just as usual
Dreyfuss' plan is a modification, and
apparently, an Improvement on the plan
suggested by Garry Hermann, president
Of the National Commission. just after
the worlds series.
MFFT ENcnrrpc