Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-21
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THAT the pony is an important fac
tor in polo goes without saying,
hut that he Is Of more importance
than the man on his back Is rather
startling proposition. This Is the
truth of the matter, however. accord
ing to the opinion Off Godfrey Freeze,
expert horseman and polo manager az
Narragansett and Camden.
in total OF 100, how many points
would fairly represent the Importance
of the pony and Of the player respect
ively?" Mr.. Preece was asked the
other day.
Il would say about SIS for the pony
and 35 for the man" he replied. Il
know that such an estimate seems
like belittling the player. but II any
body thinks am overestimating the
Importance of the pony. let him put
q poor team on good ponies and see
how the match viii go. / know from
experience how 1t goes with an tndi-
yidual player. He is just simply out
of 1t If his pony cannot run and turn
with the others In the game, and
what Is true Of one player certainly
would be true Of q team,
In the light of Mr.. Freezes opinion,
1t would be interesting to see the In
ternational games at Meadow Brook
this year supplemented by series In
which American players were mounted
ON American-bred ponies exclusively,
with English ponies for the English
team. II Is well known that when the
Americans lifted the cup in England
and again when they successfully de-
Tended Il here, they rode many Eng
lish ponies in every winning game.
Some of the English critics have
been disposed to credit the American
victories to the English ponies.
THERE are five ways by which big
league ball club can get new play.
erin a trade, or deal: while he Is
free agent, such as q cellegian or
safid-lotter; by purchase. the player
going to the highest bidder; BY repur-
chase and by draft.
The number Of players secured BY
these different means may run al tho
way nom ten to thirty season, and
as a club cannot carry over thirty
five players at any time during the
season. nor more than twenty-five
after May Is, It will be seen that there
has TO be liberal pruning Of the new
material every spring.
II out of the new men annually
rounded upa club finds two who prove
Of big league caliber. 1t considers Il
self fortunate. Frequently only one
ia found. and sometimes none. Some
clubs depend almost entirely on pur-
chases for their new players, while
others trust more to the draft.
However, each club spends good
deal of money in it's pursuit of new
talent, and 1t Is often the case that
the net result Of the outlay OF lucre
is one player Of the first class. Al
though there Is no standard Of expen-
diture for new men, the experience OF
one or two clubs may be said to ap-
proximate the experience OF all. Last
year one big league club expended APP
proximately $4,000 for purchase and
repurchased players. making no drafts.
Another spent 1880 for purchasing,
repurchasing and drafting.
Say that these are average cases,
about what other clubs expend, and
that one new man makes good, then
the price per year Of new man who
makes good would be from $4,000 to
$50, 900. II two men make good, why.
each costs just half that puch and
the club is doubly fortunate. however
shrewd may have been the Judgment
OF its scouts. Add scouting and spring
training expenses and salaries to the
outlay and the price of the new blood
still remains big, and that allows for
players returned.
There are exceptional cases, such as
the $22,500 paid for o'Toole and the
$11, 900 paid for Marquard, but thers
are, instances of alleged big sums paid
for a minor Lacquer about which there
is a good deal of humbug that Is,
players figure in the transaction, play
ers who go to the minor league club
along with money for the recruit and
who are figured in the deal as so
much money