Evening star., 1915-01-24

for turn in luck that will bring them
back some of the good coin that ap-
pears to have gone up in smoke. 1t
takes game fellow to keep coming
across with the coin of the realm, when
it is all going out and little prospect
of any coming in. The gameness of
some of the sportsmen interested in
| the new league will be given a severe
test before the issue is finally decided
for or against them.
Hopes to Cut Down Big Loss.
For my part don't expect to make
| any money in base ball this year, per-
haps for several years. My hope and
aim is to cut down my proba BILE losses
to as small margin as ! possibly can
am going to put a young team in the
| field. l know it will be an ambitious
team, and ] trust its efforts to win will
! interest the base ball fans, who had
little to enthuse over last year. I am
going to pay every player well, but
any player who believes he can get
| couple thousand more from me by
simply flirting with the FEDERAL League
mas another guess coming. I hope the
i player is able to get a fat figure. but
l much prefer the Federal League tie
! up to long contract than me-
! There vas certainly lot of wisdom
| in what the magnate had to say about
! the base ball situation. Unless some
agreement is reached with the outlaws,
| there is going to be a lot of money
dropped by majority of the club
| owners. Most of the players regard
| the situation in just that light One
day last summer while making a jump
from the western end Of the circuit to
the east I discussed the situation with
| one of the big stars in the American
| League, one of the highest-priced play
ers in base ball. a player drawing in
excess of $4,000 a year for six months
service on the diamond.
Stars Get Fancy Salaries.
| Il am glad I was born in 1885," re-
piled the player. for had I been born
ten years sooner 1 probably would
have been playing for something like
! $4,000 instead of what I am getting
I know several old players who were
the big noise in their day, and they
| regarded that amount as a fat figure.
| 1 have two years more to run on my
contract and I wouldn't be surprised
| if something happened when ! talked
! money to the owner of our club. OF
| course, as long as the Federal League
is in the field, the player has a weapon
/ to get the money, but when peace
comes 1 fear the men actively identified
| with the playing end of the game will
| be made to suffer for many years of
unusual prosperity. Ten years from
! today the big stars are not liable to
get the money the present-day celeb
rites are drawing down.
! That the paying OF fancy salaries
; had put a big kink in the Federal
League treasury seemed certain from
| the following interview President Gill
| more is reported to have given at the
close of the recent annual meeting.
THE days of fabulous salaries to the
ball players is past" said Mr.. Gil
more. MY league will be libera! and
/ Will pay good salaries, but the hold
, up game is a thing of the past with us.
! Ball players should be paid what they
I are worth, but no more. We are pay
ing $4,000 to a good many players who
got $4,000 before We came into the
| field"
| Just a Kidding Match.
! Later developments make it seem
that Mr.. Gilmore was just kidding or
ganized base ball and the dear old
public A few days after the above
! announcement was credited to MIR. Gil
more, the Federal League. which said
| it was through paying fancy salaries,
began dispensing money right and left
with reckless abandon. All last sum-
mer it was reported that the. great
Walter. Johnson would be with the
denied by johnson. while Manager
Griffith Of the Washington club scoffed
at the idea Since the close Of the sea-
son the st. Louis club of the Federal
| League had been after johnson, but 1t
seemed as If the deal had fallen
| through. just when Johnson looked to
be lost to the Feds. Joe Tinker comes
forth with the news that Johnson has
been signed to contract with the Chi
cago Federal League club. The con-
i tract is to run two years. according to
report and calls for $4,000 a year,
/ with a bonus for signing. The signing
| of Johnson made it evident that the
Feds were still ready to fight at any
cost When johnson hurdled back to
Washington it was a severe blow to
the new league.
Since the signing of Johnson two
| other sensations have been sprung by
the new league. Chief Bender and
Eddie Plank. for years the mainstay of
Connie Mack's pitching staff, have
been gobbled up. 1t is said that Bender
! is to pitch for Baltimore, while Plank
! will work for St. Louis. 1t is cnch
| that Bender and Plank are both get
ting big money from the Fedora!
| forces, as they were drawing down
mighty tidy stipends from Mack. 1t
| takes money to run base ball club
in times of peace; to turn the trick in
times of war is a far more costly eX
pertinent. Undoubtedly the Feds have a
couple of financial angels in the back
ground.
Copy right, 1915, by ". e. E,sus.y