The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05
Fans Have Scant Sympathy for Player Who Holds Out
 Rather Than Accept Cut
IHOLD-OUT INJURIES
 HIMSELF AND GAME
If History Repeats, Home Run Baker Will Prove Failure With Yam kees This SeasOn-Molcy's
 Troubles Are Few

When John Franklin Baker former idoi of the Philadelphia Athletic fans, again breaks into the national pastime 1t is quite probable that he will find it a far cry from the series of 1912 when he bat ted out worlds championship for his club to 1916, when as third basernan for the New York Yankees he makes another bid for fame and fortune.
 The fan has scant sympathy for the player who holds out and who rather than accept decrease in salary prefers to withdrawn from the game and deprive the team to which he rightfu.ly belongs of his services. The hold-outs when they have returned to the fold have always found that the ardor of the fans toward them had cooled; they no longer were re- garded al gods on wheels
 A season in idleness is hurtful to big league player in more ways than one and the physical deterioration is the least harmful of them. When one has func- tions but does not use them they atrophy and one suddenly wakes up to the fact that he no longer possesses those same functions. This is especially true of the ball player, who must keep ill condition by daily practice.
 HOLD-OUT INJURIES GAME
 And then a hold-out of the fame of Baker does the game and himself an ir-
 reparable injury in the eyes of the fans A hold-out tends to destroy the illusion of the fans that baseball is a business and not a sport. This is the illusion that has coined millions of dollars. Of course.
 it is known that ball players are in the
 game simply for the money and inciden-
 tally they love the game, just as any man if he be in the proper profession loves
 the work he is doing. But the fan hugs a deluson to himself that the players
 perform for sport and not for dollars
 and the sight of a hold-out tends to bring
 forward too great extent for the
 games good the commercial side
 There is presented the harm that player does his profession when he holds out. He harms himself as much. Fans, bugs, followers of the Athletics in the hey dey of Bakers prowess were willing to wager that there was no other third saclxer like Frank. but year has shown them their mistake. That the Philadel-
 pha team goes on in state of being just the same as if Baker was still there. No man is so good that he cannot be re- placed and the quicker ball players who seriously intend to make the game q pro fession learn this the better. Benny Kauff is & notable example of the player who thinks more of the money than any thing else and doesn't mind letting every
 body know it.
 | After a season of holding out no star has ever returned to the game and pros pered Look at Johnny kling. the great catcher on the old Cub machine of rank Chance and later with the Boston ciIb. Johnny stayed out a season and he never did any good after that and there are fA kr>
 which group will be added the namc of 1 J. Franklin Baker the season of 1918
 will have passed into eternity. NATURAL TO HOLD-OUT l There is the personal viewpoint but 1t is not difficult to grasp the feelings of a player regarding holding out. Holding out is perfectly natural sin and iio man can be blamed for it--it is only the carry ing of it to extremes that deserves cen sure. Conditions in baseball are different from those in any other profession in the world. A man in that game has to take what is given him and 1t is only by bluffing and ur-flushing that he can get any more than is offered He has everything to gain and nothing to lose by holding out and he can hardly be blamed for making g. stall.
 | For instance, a player is sent con- tract by a club calling for salary of s2OO. Now he knows that he can get at least $20O, and that any more he can bluff the club into paying him will be so much gained. He is at the mercy of the club owners and he thinks that the only
 way to impress them is by holding cut and manifesting an overweening conff-
 dence in himself. Perhaps he is right, and little judicious holding out won't hurt him as long as he doesn't carry it too far.
 Molesworth. contrary to his expecta- tions is having very little trouble with his players this year and none of them have manifested any serious reluctance
 to report