Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-31
BY ]. ED GRILLo.

Though assurance has been given by
eminent legal authority that the reserve
clause in the ball players contracts will
be upheld by the civil courts, there are
those in base ball who question the adj
visibility of taking the Tinker matter to
court for fear that it might be held that
the organization is operating in violation
of the antitrust law.
Such a ruling would undoubtedly mean
the abolition Of the present system I'M
Ger which base ball is conducted and I'M
der which it has prospered. That it
would be next to impossible to conduct
leagues without a rule which gives every
club an absolute right to. every player it
signs for an indefinite period stands to
reason, and yet if the Tinker case were
taken to court it might rule against such
practice and organized base ball would be
a thing of the past. The game might
then deteriorate to an amateur basis.
If. however, organized base ball should
be upheld by the courts it would elm
mate the occasional attempt at invasion
such as is now being made by the Fed
eral League. The chances are that there
will be no wild rush to the courts by the
Brooklyn club to have Tinker prevented
from playing with the Federal League.
Brooklyn will receive the $1,000 il paid
for Tinker from the Cincinnati club, be-
cause il was agreed at the time of the
sale that Tinker would have to sign with
Brooklyn before the deal would be COM
pleted.
Tinker's jumping is not going to hurt
either of the major leagues. He is a
good ball player. no doubt, but he can
be spared.
President Somers of the Cleveland club
believes it good policy to reward deserv-
ing players. Satisfied with Joe Birming-
hams management of the Maps, Somers
presented Birmingham with a seven
passenger automobile Christmas day. In
cidentally, he did not overlook Catcher
Steve O'Nefl, 4 youngster who made good
with a vengeance in the last campaign.
ONeil was the recipient of check call
ing for $500 Christmas day. The Nap
management and ONeil had hard
time getting together last spring on the
salary question. SomerS promised to re-
ward the youngster If his work JUSTIFIED
1t. and as result he sent him the check
for Christmas. 1t is needless to say
that the Maps will have no trouble sign
ing O'Neil in the spring.
John Heydler. secretary OF the National
League, level-headed. we'll informed in
dividual. takes the following view of the
Tinker muddle:
The part which relates 10 the club
paying Tinker $1,000 q year, for three
years, has strange ring to it. and until
| such contract or knew that
Tinker had reported l would have strong
doubts about it. Clubs in two major
leagues which are We'll established, with
the best cities to draw from. would lind
it burdensome to pay such salaries. and
L cannot understand how the Federal
League, yet in an uncertain state and
composed Of mostly minor league cities.
could pay any such figure. The fact that
Tinker would positively receive S1o,oo9
for signing with Brooklyn makes the
report of his jump appear all the more
improbable to me, because no ball player
would turn down such y large bonus for
an uncertain proposition. 1t is. of
course. possible that the Federal League
banked all that money TO Tinl1er's credit.
but l cannot believe it,
Though it is intimated in Federal
League circles that the Players Fra
ternity will favor the outlaw league, if