Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-07
.PH|LL|ES APPEAR To
Be THE J|NX TEAM
Every Time Somebody Starts u Base
ball Fight the Quakers Get the
Worst OF the Deal.
TWICE SHOT ALL TO PIECES
American League Takes Crack at
the Squad i'm the War of 1902.
FcdcralS Repeat Last Scar-Thrce
Claims to Distinction.

NialInS 10 DISTINCTION.
NEW YORK. February s.---Eycry
time somebody picks a baseball fight
that somebody takes the huskiest wal
lop ut those poor Philles. The Quaker
the American National League war,
and the same thing happened during
the Federal League scrap;
prospects than did the phillics after
the 1918 season, closed. They had
played wonderful baseball during the
1918 season, and were rnnners.up all
the way. The veterans looked good
for the 1914 campaign, and some of the
l'hilies youngsters were due to de-
liver
And then the blow fell.
The Feds grabbed Tom Seaton,
ranked as one of the best pitchers in
the game: they took Otto knabe, the
brainy second sackcr. and Mike Doolan.
Also they grabbed Pitchei Ad Bren-
nan. never a wonder, yet Il man who
ranked pretty we'll up in the pitching
before the 1914 campaign opened.
Their inheld was wrecked by the loss
ing mainstay was gone. From posi-
J bic pcnnant contender the Phillies
slumped into second division certain
ties.
Only n Repetition.
| What happened in l913-l4 was but n
repetition OF what took place in 1901
pennant Possibilities. And then came
the raid of the warning American
i.ajoie, Ed pelehanty and Elmer
Flick, who We're amcng the greatest
and Ment IN with the American Pea league
SO did Bill Bernhard, who held n place
high up among the topnotch pitchers in
The Phiilics owners lost their stars
In 10000 for the same reason that
they lost them in 1924. And those
i. They held the warning league and
it's lure in too cheap regard:
.. When 1t came to bidding up on
the salary question they were too tight
with the bankroll.
I.ajois was getting $500 year year
can Leaguers offered him about $4,000.
The offer was large, but Latoie wasn't
very keen about jumping. lie tolu the
PhillieS owners So
| Boost my pay to $4,000 and I'll stick
with YOU" he told the Phillies owners.
Nothing doing, they answered -.
jump mp" he SO made made the American League
IL just about the sane; same way Icar as Joe
Tinker md In,,u ,ens Gea Diner. n's u'
Lajoie's jump Influenced other play
ers to do likewise. Lajoie was star
IF he can afford to take n chance on
this new league SO can We" reasoned
| the less brilliant players. who were
So they Jumped and the American
| League became Il fixture.
So 1t was in 19l3-li.
Seaton had gained nationwide publ
city because of his wonderful pitching
performances in 1913. The Feds want
ed him. They knew If they made him
they knew If they secured a star Of
Seaton's magnitude that other. players
would be Influenced by Seaton's jump.
Seaton got the offer, He wasn't
Mt
He didn't snap the, bait. He gave the
philly owners chance to keep him.
and for igure ,n iess than tho feds
''If the Phillies had given me n
$1,000 raise over my y, lslS salary .rEh ! !
Wo Gd6 haze suek said Ssa5 benn hH
where near what the Feds offered me
but I was willing to stay for that ST.
900 boost. But they turned me down
and jumped"
The phillles have three claims to
what might be termed distinction:
/. They have developed moro stars
over n stretch of years than any one
3 They have been hit harder dur
ing both baseball wars than any other
club.
3. They have had owners who have
been so tight listed that they per-
mitted the wrecking Of their team rath :
er than pay out few thousand dol
lars in increased salaries.
Had the l90l-02 Phillie owners met
the salary demands OF LaJOie, Flick,
Delehanty and Bernhard, the American
League might never have won its fight.
ESven IL 1t had, those four players on
tho Philly roster were drawing cards
and in n few weeks they would have
drawn enough fans to cover the salary
increases.
1t Is the same with tho 19i3-14 Phil
lies. Had the Philly owners paid tho
demands of Seaton, Doolan Knabe and
Brennan. tctalling not more than c.
600 year-the Philly owners would
have had 1t returned four-fold during
the 1914 season.
Had Seaton. Knabs. Doolan and Bren-
nan been with the 1914 Phllics they
would have been In that great pcnnant
night. Instead OF playing to an average
OF 1000 to 1000 persons a day those
Phillies would have drawn crowds that
averaged 5000 TO 5000 and there fore
instead of sustaining a loss during the
1914 season the Phillics would have
cleared at least 100000 on the regular
season. and maybe they would have
mingled in the worlds series and
grabbed down n $4,000 TO $1,000