Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-17
NO CONTRACTSFOR
ALLEGED JUMPERS
Claims Players Have Signed
Provisional Agreements Civ
ing Option on Services.
WON'T SHOW DOCUMENTS

That the players who say they have
jumped to the Federal League have
not signed contracts and that they
have tackled their signatures to pro-
visional agreements which only give
the outlaws an option on their SER
vices until a certain date Is the star
Ting claim made by a prominent base
ball man today. His assertion is that
the invaders in signing players offer
a bonus to any player who will agree
to give such and such q Federal
League club his services providing
that the manager of that club Is able
to round up full team; providing
the Federal League club succeeds in
locating a ball park, and with other
similar clauses attached.
The thing which tempts the ball
player to give the FederaIs an option
ON his services is the cash-down prop
osition for signing this provisional
agreement. There. of course, is a
clause in the agreement to the effect
that in the event that the league gets
going the player will receive a fat
salary for term of years. but the
baseball man who springs this yarn
maintains that there are too many
loopholes and jokers in the so-called
contracts to make it at all safe for a
ball player to dicker with the out
laws. In addition he believed that
the FederaIs are getting lot of ad-
vertising under false pretenses.
He backs up his statement by de-
claring that the Chicago Club abso-
1utely refused to show Joe Tinker s
signed contract, though the Federals
were quick to flash photograph of
Joe signing some sort of a paper. He
claims if the Federals were on the
level they would have had Tinker
contract reproduced in every paper
throughout the country. There GER
tainly' was nothing niggardly about
the terms of the contract said to
have been signed by Tinker.
The fact that the Federal League
has not located its circuit definitely,
that at least two of its towns are on
the fence and that in a majority of the
cities to be represented no bail parks
have been secured adds a lot OF
strength to the punch of this brand
new story, and coming as 1t does from
a man who has had years of big
league baseball experience, makes it
look as though a great deal of the
secrecy maintained by the outlaws
is due TO a very good reason. None
of the ball players who have signed
have shown their contracts, so far as
lutely declined to discuss the subject.
If this revelation is true it may
mean the vulnerable spot in the
Federars front. and the big guns in
organized baseball will lose, little time
in seeing the players who have been
reported as jumpers with an object
of counteraeting the provisional
agreement when the time comes for
the would-be jumpers to. sign a real
contract. -
President Charles H. Ebbets, of the
Brooklyn Club, who is on a Western
mission of signing players, Is due In
Pittsburgh today to consult with
Enos Kirkpatrick. who is reported to
have jumped. Ebbets, it Is said. would
willingly grant Kirkpatrick's wish to
nlay here If it can be accomplished.
In the meantime Ebbets may also
visit Gus Getz and get his signature
to a Newark contract.