Evening journal., 1915-12-29
benefit
BY Baseball PACT
Eligible to Re-enter Ranks
of Organized Ball.
Salaries Assured
HARD TASK AHEAD
FOR SINCLAIR

in the minor league ranks or are taken
over by the American or National I
League clubs, the players have bene-
fitted by the ending of the war between /
the Independents and organized base /
ball. writes George NJ. Young in the .
Philadelphia Public Ledger. IL was not
certain that the Federal League would
start the season of 1916, despite the /
activity Of few Of the promoters OF /
the defunct organization and the !
threats TO place a team i'm New York |
city. at cost Of more than 81 100000. |
If they had gone on II was only
question of time when the independ-
ents would be forced TO quit. Then
what would have become Of the
players?
When the magnates of organized
baseball agreed to accept the terms
Of peace offered by the Wards, Harry
Sinclair and Charley Weeghman the
Federal League hackers they opened
the door OF the major and minor
leagues to the Federal League players.
The conditions Of peace provide that
all players under contract by the
Feds may be taken into the ranks
OF organized baseball although the
Federal League must shoulder the re-
sponsibility of their contracts and
place them as best they can There
Will be no wild scramble for Federal
League players, despite the reports TO
this effect, for the simple reason that
there are not enough major league
ball players in the ranks of the inde-
pendents to cause the club owners to
begin a bidding war for their SER
vices.
The fact that many Of the Federal
League players are signed to long
term contracts calling for higher sal
aries than they are worth TO organ
/ ided baseball will make Sinclair's task
/ of placing the players a difficult one.
/ by special arrangements. Sinclair has
been invested with the power TO dis
! pose of all Federal League plavers
except those owned by the Chicago.
st. Louis, Pittsburgh. Newark and
Baltimore clubs If Weeghman se-
cures the Cubs, he will select what
/ players he wants from his Federal
Z League team to strengthen his Ma
tlonal League team, and the same
thing applies TO Phil Ball and Otto
Stiefel, who have taken over the s..
Louis Browns from Bob Hedges.
These clubs will each have about 90
players on their list. and it will take
some time to weed out the best
of the lot and dispose of the others.
For this reason the player limit for
these two clubs has been lifted. and
they are given until the close Of tho
, 1917 season to get rid of their extra
men. When this has been accomplish
o ed, the player limit Of 21 IN the Ma
! tional League and 25 in the American
will again be enforced. for it ha.
proved an excellent rule
The Newark club, OF the Federal
League, which is owned by Henry Sin.
clair, is to be merged with the Inter.
national League. and most of the
I players under contract will be used ts
put strong team in Newark. It 4,
r doubtful if any member OF the Balti
J, more Federals will be purchased %,
/, a major league club, so that the In
n ternational League will be represent
}. ed by virtually the same team al
4 represented the Federal League thi
= last two years. The Baltimore clul
viii need Strengthening however. an,
\ this Will be accomplished BY takin,
i over some Of the Federal Leagul
4 players and by signing some of tn
. major league men who will be Gu
loose TO make room for those take.
. from the Independents ranks. Il l.
I virtually certain that the Interna
7 tional and the American Association
K teams Will get the majority OF play
ers from the Federals If their salarie
; are not too high; but lot of then
] who are not bound by long-term con
tracts will be lucky to find place il
the minor leagues below Glass A.
Sinclair will, Of course, endeavor L
get rid of all the high priced PLAYER
! as quickly as possible. for the Fed
4 erals are TO assume all these con
= tracts, and if they cannot sell tn
. players or place them with maio
- league clubs, which will be willing {
pay their salaries, Sinclair and hi
:. associates will have to make up tn
j differences. President Gilmore i'm
4 sisted that the Federal league woul
= never sign a peace agreement unles
t. organized baseball agreed TO tax
e care Of all the Federal's PLAYERS: bu
n no such conditions are named i'm tn
settlement of the baseball war, an
d Gilmore and Sinclair will find the
}. have assumed a considerable hurde
before they get rid of all the me
they have or their payroll
10 ED Gwinner. owner of the Pitts
h burgh team. has agreed to dispose {
n his own players and is quoted a
70 having already offered to give ava
= his players to any club that wi
n take over their contracts. The Pitts
!. burgh magnate is reported to hay
~ paid $4,000 as his share of the peaC
settlement, the National and Amer
~ can leagues each contributin
q $4,000 to the fund As Gwinner
ye reported to have admitted that he loi
100000. in promoting the FEEDERS
league club in the Smoky City.
means that he is out just $4,000, an
n this does not cover the loss sustaint
AZ by Robert S. Ward. the deceased bak'
st of Brooklyn. who helped the Pitt
,e- burgh men to promote their club.
n The Federal league proposition WI
9 the costliest baseball war in the hi
Ic- tory Of the game. II is said to ha'
Ir- cost the Wards close TO 100000
lp which they are to be paid One-half
st. organized baseball at the rate
,r- $4,000 a year for 20 years. Weeg
az man lost lot of money, although h
ed club was more successful than al
he other club in the league. Gwinner al
his associates in Pittsburgh 10
S1OO. 600. Robertson and the 9th
men who fioated the BuffalO clu
a. dropped a barrel of coin. Sinclair a
n mits the Newark club cost him
es pretty penny. and it is reported
l.. Il.