Las Vegas optic., 1914-04-25
BASEBALL War A
snap FOR The
lawyers
SUITS, STARTED BY THE FEEDER
AL LEAGUE, MEAN FAT FEES
FOR ATTORNEYS

IN ~ AQnNE =
New York, April 25.-One hundred
and thirty-fiVe thousand dollars is
asked for in the damage suits now
pending between the National and
Federal leagues, resulting from the
jumping Of players, This stunt Of the
big league moguls in rushing into
court with damage suits and injunc
tion pleas is something new in base
ball warfare With the single excep
tion of the Lajoie case, which was
taken into court in Philadelphia, the
war Of dozen years ago between
the American and National leagues
produced no soft money in the way
Of fees for attorneys The two old
leagues kept out Of the courts and
used their coin as 3ait for players.
The present war among the bic
leagues is being fought along differ
ent lines. When player does a flor
his old manager loses no time IN hot
footing into court, with a plea fol
an Injunction in one hand and papers
for damage suit in the other.
In connection with the numerous
law suits already filed there surely
are some strange and peculiar angles
To the trained lawyer they may no
seem out Of the Ordinary, but to the
everyday fan they look very mucf
like the 'bunk."
President Gaffney Of the Bostol
Braves asks $4,000 from the Balti
more Federal league club on accoun
Of Pitcher Jack Quinn deserting tn,
Braves and signing with Baltimore
| Quinn's record shows that he did goo,
work for Rochester after failing wit
the New York Yankees. He ais
showed up fairly well after joinin
the Braves last fall. But to declar
that Quinn is worth $4,000 on hi
past performances seems like jugglin
| figures to the limit.
The Federal league is seeking SIS
600 damages from Killifer Of tn
Phillies and Blanding and Kohler {
Cleveland Maps. Ten thousand do
lars is sought by the league frol
Baumgardner and Williams Of the S
Louis Browns, and $4,000 from Han
ilton Of the same team In thes
cases the players and not their clut
are the defendants. The claim
the Federais is based on the refusi
Of the players to live up to the col
tracts they are said to have signe
with the new organization.
In the opinion Of lawyers the Fe,
erals will have to establish that th
defendant players have deprived th
Federal league Of extraordinary ser
ices. or in other words. services tbs
could not be performed by others.
the Feds are compelled to make the
claim good along this line they doub
less will center the fight on the cas-
of Bill Killifer, who is the star Of th
whole outfit that has been drawn il
to court Killifer is ranked as on
OF the leading catchers of the bi
show.
AS p counter action to the suit {
the Federals against Killifer, Pres
dent Baker Of the Philadelphia Nj
tionals has filed two suits against tn
officials of the Chicago club of tb
Federal league. Baker asks $3.50
damages and an injunction restrain
ing the Federal league from interfe
ing with the players of the Philade
phia club
With Blanding, Kahler, Hamilto
and Baumgardner, the other defen,
ants in the damage suits filed by th
Federal league, ranking nineteenth
twenty-ninth. thirty-frst and thirt,
fifth, respectively, in the 1918 record
of American league pitchers, it is di
ficult to see how the Federal leagu
can obtain any damages for the los
Of their services.
With court decisions and thres pei
nant races to follow tAe baseball fan
will find plenty to keep them bus
during the remainder Of the seasol
} And incidentally the lawyers wi
gather nice bundle Of change an
learn more about the national pastim
than they thought it possible to knov