The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-04-24
That Part of Contract Which
Binds Player to Club for
Lifetime Unsatisfactory
COMPETENT SUBSTITUTE
SEEMS HARD TO FIND
! Looks as if Clause Will Have to
4 Stand Until New Solution
I Is Discovered
BY RALPH l.. YONKER.

T0I0cuoolOu tuAu Any Vac @AAue "
/. ball this season. II has stirred nun
sdrsds Of editorial writer's IN the news
hapsry all over the land 10 plunge
from prosaic Balkan wars, cures LOT
consumption. and presidential eiec.
lions into the baseball trust ana
r.Why Cob bshould have $l5.00o.
The matter has been brought oh'
cially to the attention OF the unlteo
states congress by threats to INTRO
duce legislation against the trust
sHoke Smith. of Georgia, has taken UP
.Ty's cudgel for him, asked 10 see
/. COPY OF his contract and limited that
! he will try its legality.
when the kernel of the trust nut
4 discovered. 1t Is found TO be the
reserve clause in the players CON
tract. This clause has caused mucn
discussion and much dissatisfaction
I'm the past, and 1t probably always
will, a. long az 1t IL In force.
The lifetime reserve clause binds
yplayer to give his services to the CLUB
In orgaflixed baseball with which he
ynigns until that club shall see At TO
stransfer him to some other club. lf
Ne breaks his contract. he 10 banisheo
from the organized game. which prac-
ideally means that his money making
ability a. q player is over. There
aren't many outlawed players maki''S
Galnries that mount into the thou
jnands.
The reserve clause has been found
Necessary in the past TO prevent
Wholesale jumping from one team 10
hnother. II was the logical means OF
8inding together the organization OF
tie game. In the past II has been aD-
Solutely essential to the permanency
u the game. Magnates claim that IL
- still Players say that IL Is relic
~ the dark ages.
he that as 1t may, 1t looks as II
he reserve clause will always cause
trouble between player and magnates,
hut that It, or some substitute. VIII
always be In existence as long as
Aaseball n played.
II The chief aid of the players In over
0oming the restrictions of the reserve
&lause II public opinion. Whether
they are fair to their men or not. the
9agnates are forced by public opinion
- pay salaries commensurate with
khe value of the stars. Thus far this
has been OF sufficient power TO sat
Numerous cases of holding out, like
Cobb's, but 40 general thing, player
md magnate are able to get together
Il Public opinion has been powerful
Doough In the past to counterbalance
the clause, SO that players have been
tfetty well satisfied with their treat
inent. They have been willing enough
~ continue the game with but few
t6olated exceptions.
Slavery and peonage are mentioned
frequently when the relationship OF
nagnates and players is discussed.
That II amusing While there may be
hnydships indicted ON the men In the
aame. while they may not all get their
jqDt deserts, while they may give up
the best years Of their life to the
eAIne, they are privileged to leave II
6k any time, or to keep out of 1t in
tie nrst place.
fMagnates claim that without the re-
o4rve clause, the players would be
jumping from club to club, and that
n . few years the big cities like New
York and Chicago, would have all the
atars and the smaller cities like De-
'tbit and Cleveland, would be nowhere
a the pennant race. This, of course,
would kill the game.
A veteran player wrote to Grant
land Rice, one of the country's best
k1own baseball experts, citing cases
whore the reserve clause worked a
hardship on certain players For in.
stance, Jim Archer, Cub catcher, asks
for the same salary for one year that
Roger Bresnahan, another Cub back
Dtop. gets for three. He fails to get
Il because he IL the Cubs property
while Bresnahan was a free agent
when he signed.
The player asks / fthere isn't some
bomedy for this. Rice replies:
The answer IL that there isn't that
Ne know Of. offhand. Our idea has
always been that the lifetime reserve
clause II wrong; that the best ar
tangement II for nve-year reserve
blsuse where at the end OF this time
HE player will be declared free to
make the best terms In sight--to get
kxactly what he il worth-which
means exactly what the club that
beds him most 10 willing to pay for
Ms work.
This may not be feasible solu-
Non. II may not work out. II might
benter the strength In the larger
b1tiea. where locations like New York
Ind Chicago would be In a position 10
hbs0rb all the star talent In sight
I Even the ball players are unwii-