The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-01
MAJOR CLUBS LIKELY
TO DISREGARD LIMIT
viii Retain Ball Players to
Keep Them Away From
Federals.

IL is being whispered IN AHeiie"
league circles, and has been announced
Inv at least one National league man
aecr. that the ''big shows" will not
regard The twenty -fivo-men rule TINS
summer. writes, II. 4. Batchelor in the
Detroit Free Press.
George T. Stallings Of tho Boston
Braves was the first man to drop tne
hint that such a plan was proposes.
J;eorve is authority for the statement
that his league will pay absolutely no
attention TO any limit this year, out
will permit club owners to hang on 10
all The men they care 10 pay, tho
This is aimed at the Federais, lhe
idea being not to turn any payers
loose who might be shared BY the ont
Ia ,, or course, not many big leaguers
arc let 90 entirely once they sign up,
but there are many men VINO woulu
lump TO the Federals rather than &C
cept minor league assignment, out
on the bench all summer IN seieet so
cietv Just as long rs their checks ar
rived every first and fifteenth.
President Navin of the Detroit CLUB
has heard nothing official regarding
the American league IS policy, in tins
respect, He says, however, that ne
would not be surprised TO sec the limit
kent out Of the hands Of the Feds-
Some Could Be Spared.
"Therc will be some men taken en-
south by every Ng league club whom
we would be very glad TO let the FEEDER
nls have" said Mr.. Navin. In faet,
iudging by some of the recruits VINO
have tried to fool me, we couun tlnu
n moro effective measure of fIghting
IN TliSh 81 few NI
these fellows on them. AT the same
nine il would be foolish to turn any
Good plavers loose so that the. new
feasuc might grab sthcm. Probably
most clubs would be willing to carry
a little excess baggage. Just Tor 1ne
sake of helping in the fight - =,
Ii is almost certainty that inc
Federal league will have TO alter its
avowed policy in one respect II u IN
tends 20 keep on doing business. Thls
is in regard to paving all the money 10
the. plnvers themselves instead oil 10
the minor league owners-
1t was announced by the ''outlaws
when they first began to make morse
TINT they would not buy anybody
1--WE will give the men the money
instead of the owners said the FEDS.
f.I; VIC want a player, all we will have
to do is TO offer him q bonus and ne
will sign with us Just as soon az ms
other contract runs out,
Some Advantages.
In some respects this. plan Is
good one, rs it enables the athletes 10
Ieap the harvest instead Of the mag
mates who exploit them. But on the
other hand. the very existence OF mt
nor league ball depends on selling play
ers. 1t was announced not long ago py
Secretary Farrell Of the National AS,
sociation of Professional Basepali
leagues. that at least 20 per cent OF
the clubs in classes below AA IAN 10
make money under present conaitions'
Whatever may he said about the tre-
mendous revenue sccruing TO the major
league magnates, it cannot be denied
that the majority of minor league clubs
arc supported by men who are real
fans, and who back baseball because
thew like the game. 1t is a matter OF
patriotism with many of these Fellows;
They want their towns to have bascpal
like that supported by neighboring
and rival settlement and are willing TO
go down into their jeans TO help out.
Imme1se Sum Involved.
E-en as it is. when the majors are
turning over something like S4O0 900
a year for players, IT is rare thing
for the little circuits TO make money,
and If this source or revenue Us taken
away, it will be hard to find men suffi-
ciently patriotic to back ball team
in a small town.
The result, if the Federals dc, not
see the light, will be that the little
leagues will be almost a thing OF the
past. With the disappearance OF the
small circuits, the erep of young ball
players will fall off. terribly and in
time the colleges and sand-lots will be
about the only recruiting territory for
the majors. This will hurt the FEEDER
ais Just as much as anybody else. as
suming that they expect to put on top
notch ball, and will result in very
much slower grade Of baseball in the
course of a few years than that now
being played Collegians and seml-pro:
fessional tossers cannot be developed
in sufficient numbers to make up even
ono good major league let alone three.
Lately. IL is understood, the Feder.
ais have intmated that they may
change their minds about giving play
ers all the money and that they will
buy from the clubs just as the major
leagues do at present It is to be
boDcd for tho sake of baseball in GEN.