The Washington herald., 1916-08-07
COMISKEY LIKES
A "GLASS Arm"
"Old Roman Once Testified
that Bum-Wing Third
Sackers Are Best,
JUDGES OPINIONS DIFFER
BY FRAN G. MENKE.

Charles Comiskey once offered in a
court Of law expert testimony" to the
effect that a third baseman with a glass
arm is OF more value to a ball club than
one with a glass-less wing!
Whether the present owner OF the Whit.
SoX expressed such a belief merely as
joke, or whether he actually meant it.
has remained a mystery for something
like twentyfour years. But the fact re-
mains that the "Old Roman" did make
such a declaration and that It undoubt-
edly helped to influence a Judge in rem
dering verdict in a baseball suit in
volving $40
Back along in 1892 when William Chase
Temple owned the Pittsburgh Nationals
he decided to sign up Tom Burns, the
one-time member Of Cap" Anson's stone
wall inaeld. However, before the deal
finally was put through, Temple was
tipped" that Burns had a glass arm "
Qn baseball parlance that means a throw
Ing arm which has become kinky and
stin and. therefore. is useless in a base
ball wayO
Temple, however, refused to pass up
Burns merely on the strength of that re-
port. He wanted first hand information
And so he wired Burns something like
this:
Burns Released.
will contract you for three years at
salary of $4,000 per year upon condition
that your throwing arm is in perfect con-
dition. Unless you can guarantee con-
dition OF your arm, deal is Off"
My arm in perfect condition. VIII
guarantee it"
Temple then signed Burns only to find
out within a short time that the reports
concerning the finging fin Of Burns had
been true; that the arm Of the former
star of the Chicago team was dead as
far as baseball usefulness was concerned
so there was nothing left for me
to do but to release Burns, said Temple.
Burns Immediately afterward filed suit
for s12,ooo-three years salary-against
the Pittsburgh club, summoning Comis-
key. among others, to testify in his be-
half
The trial came up before Chicago
Judge who regarded baseballing as a
sort Of roughneck occupation and knew
little more about the game than does
cannibal island chieftain.
Old Roman Testihes.
Comiskey, who then was famous as
ball player and manager of the four
! time champion St Louis Browns. was
| called to the stand
Have you ever heard used In your
baseball business the expression glass
! arm?' Comiskey was asked.
"Oh. yes. sir, 1 have one myself" was
the reply
DO you think that the possession OF
a so-called glass arm is a handicap
to ball player? Would It affect the
usefulness Of a player"
| Il do not think it would affect the use.
fulness of an infielder"
! why not "
Comiskey, without the flicker of a smile
on his face, then made this remarkable
reply. in substance:
We'll, Your honor the position played
by an inf1elder requires him to make
What Is known as snap throws AS you
surely must know, glass is brittle and
snaps easily. Therefore, a third base.
man with glass arm would seem to b,
! OF more value to a ball club than one
who didn't have a glass arm. Do 1 make
myself clear?"
Perfectly, sir" answered the Judge. 81
get your point exactly"
And then the judicial person verbally
fayed the Pittsburgh club owners for
their stand that a "glass-armed" player
was rather useless person and ruled
that the club should pay Burns the
$4,000 and the costs of the case as we'll,
Objection was taken to the ruling, how
ever. but the club owners lost. The suit
finally was settled by the Pirate owners
paying Burns six weeks saIary-the
period from the date of his release until
the suit was decided.