The Washington herald., 1914-12-11
Stronger Clubs Wish to Cling
to Old Jockeying for
Trades.
SCHEDULE In FEBRUARY

New York, Dec. 10.-There is a lot
of sympathy in the National League
for the under dog until he begins to
want something for himself. This was
proved today when the assembled mag
mates adjourned without passing the
new waiver rule demanded by the
weaker clubs. The rule provides that
once waivers have been asked on a
player the request cannot be with
drawn and the player will be open to
purchase at the waiver price by the
first club to claim him.
The club owners decided to pass the
buck along to the schedule meeting in
February. The New York Giants, the
Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates,
and at least one of the other strong
clubs in the league put up such a roar
over Julius Fleischman's demand for
the new rule that 1t could have been
passed only over a few dead bodies.
The strong clubs wish to cling to their
time-hOnored dodge of asking waivers
when jockeying for trades, only to
withdraw them IL any unexpected We
fusal to waive blocks the contemplated
deal.
To Limit Clubs.
The 1914 meeting of the National
League has now passed into history.
but it has made history in only one
particular. This has been the deadest.
most generally disappointing meeting
the magnates have held in all the years
they have been meeting. The net re-
suit of the four days may be summed
up in one sentence. The clubs will be
limited to twenty -one playes apiece be-
tween May l and September /, and no
club may go into training quarters be-
fore March l.
That may be a lot for a bunch Of
baseball millionaires to accomplish in
four days of deliberations presided over
by a $4,000 a year president. but no.
body can be found so far who believes
so. Not one big trade. not a deal of
any kind. not even a militant declara-
tion of hostile intentions toward the
Federal League. Just a few sessions
that might have been more exciting had
they been held by delegates called to
discuss means to better conditions for
underpaid oyster openers during the
months OF May. June. July, and August.
Recognizes Feds.
Perhaps it is hardly fair to the mag
mates to say that they ignored the Fed
eral League. They certainly did recog-
niZe the existence OF that body just be-
fore the close of the final session. when
some one whose name was not an
nounced sOlemnly moved that it was
the sense OF the meeting that the Ma
tional League OF professional base ball
clubs was opposed to the Federal League.
was opposed to the Federal League.
This motion was as solemnly seconded
and passed. and now stands as part OF
the minutes of the meeting of 1914.
Take that. Mr.. Gilmore.
The plan to lengthen the worlds
series to eleven games died a painless
death. Let well enough alone" warned
Gov. Tener. and the magnates decided
they would.
The board of directors OF the league
also met for about an hour before the
final session of the club owners. Finan-
cial matters were discussed and report
ed to the owners.
1t looks as il everybody will lend a
helping hand to Rube Marquard in his
efforts to keep out of Jail in the Ward
contract case. President Hampstead
said the matter was up to McGraw, but
added that Marquard would never be
considered a contract jumper until he
had failed to show up at the training
camp. That gives Rube several months
to scrapc together the $3.50 refund he
is due to pay r. B. Ward.
Unless some of the maEnates get mixed
up in a train wreck on the way home this
will be all for the 1914 meeting of the
National League.