Evening star., 1916-11-26
GRIFFMEN TO PLAY
EXHIBITION GAMES
WITH REDS IN SPRING

Continued from First Page)
field Hans Wagner was assigned to the
first-base position a few weeks ago. and
the Smoketown fans figured that a great
move had been made. But since Jim Call
lahan. the teams leader. had his confer
ence with Owner Dreyfuss word has gone
out that Big Bill Hinchman. the best
hitter on the team. will be played at the
initial corner, and then Wagner will be
continued at short field. where he played
most remarkable ball last season.
The Flying Dutchman also hit the pill
well, having smuggling average of .317.
which is pretty good for a player of his
age and service.
One reason the White Sox did not fin-
ish higher in the race undoubtedly was
the fact that Eddie Collins did not play
while member of the Athletics for many
years. 1t is not because Collins has aged.
FOR he still is a young man. and it prob
ably is fair to take it for granted that
Collins merely had an off season, during
which his greatest fault was failure to
hit up to his real mark. He hit but .3l4.
which was about twenty-six points below
the averages he used to make while with
the Mackmen.
However. many players who have been
in the league all the time that Collins
mas insist that the former marvel has
slowed UP and that he is not nearly the
y
Harry Sinclair. who makes his head
quarters in New York city, selling oil
stock, is peeved because organized base
oail has not turned over the large
amount of coin that was to go to the
Coffee and Cake magnates last winter.
Sinclair does not care a rap for the Bal
timore Feds observation-disclosures nd-dol-
lar damage suit. He wants the ten
thousand-dollars-a-ye rent for the Har-
fCnrn t.al x1r
soon he will start another outlaw league,
so he is quoted as saying.
VI course. the oil man is bluffing. He
wouldn spend another cent on base ball
in his life. But he will remember how
ne frightened the National League when
he threatened to put a Lunch Room
League club on Manhattan Island. The
hluf worked like charm, and the Ma
tional League men decided that Ii was
high time to make peace But If the
oil mans bluff had been called he would
nave run out as swiftly as he did when
he had chance to buy the Giants.
Have the base ball players been hold
ing grievance meetings since the close
of the sea son, inquiries Billy Weart. the
sage of Philadelphia?
1t begins to look as though some Of
them had put their heads together and
decided not to sign any contracts sent 70
them at this time.
Cleveland that Out.elder Finer Smith
Of the Wash ngton team had received q
contract calling for more money than he
received last season, but that he held Off
signing il until he heard from the Play
ers' Fraternity.
Then came the interview with Ping"
Bodie, who has been obtained by the
Athletics for next season. Bodie voiced
his opinions at his home in San Fran
cisco, although Connie Mack has not
N IN ~ q hiyfa hat Ia tz
willing to pay him.
Now comes .Swe EIDE" Risberg. second
baseman of the Vernon club. who has
been landed by Comiskey of the White
cisco and he has announced he is dis
satisfied with the money he under
stands he will be offered.
In commenting on the attitude OF
Bodie and Risberg the San Francisco
Bulletin says: "'Ping' Bodie may get
his raise. and Risberg may get his, or
both may lose out and retire. And We
dare say that within three years after
their retirement both will be forgotten.
while others take their places. That
base ball is funny game doesn't eA-
press half the truth"
should the major league players de-
clare strike because of the refusal OF
the national association to grant Ger
tain demands by the Players Frater-
nifty it will not strike against the ma
tional commission. but at the very
game of base ball itself?'' said Presi-
dent John Tener of the National League
In reply to Dave Fultzs strike threat
Fultz Thursday. said the Fraternity
PLAYERS would not sign contracts un-
less the minor leagues demands were
granted.
Tener Furthermore. IL
would be the major league players who
would have to bear the brunt OF the
strike The class AA and A minors.
also protected by the fraternity. could
easily sign up sixteen men for their
teams and go ahead with their schedules.
That would mean that only the major
league players would be idle and los
ing their means of livelihood over
trivial minor league matter.
"a sympathy strike by the big league
n,avers under such circumstances
would be the most foolish and detri-
mental thing the players could possi-
,lv do can't see what they are think
ing about and l am certain that those
PLAYERS who have brains will not be In
auenced by the fraternity.
Ban Johnson must have been in a
iocular mood yesterday when he said
he might not continue at the head OF
the American League. now that he.
-omiskey and Joseph Ray of Whining
ton, ILL.,, have closed negotiations Tor
D1R out an W S,'''-Ao'
made this statement:
You couldn't expect me to stick out
hat contract while l have such a good
.hance to settle out west: 1 am in love
with that country out there, ana It's
are great"
johnson is drawing $4,000 a year for
the affairs of the American
league. There are times when the
,hief of the junior circuit likes to joke,
md this unquestionably was the case
when he made the above remarks.
Johnson is no more likely to retire
rom base ball than is Charles Comis-
1ey, who is the veteran of the game.
md admits he will spend the rest of his
ife in the sport.