El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-22
Speaker Is Said To Get $18,5O0 a Year
-:I;- -:H:- -:H:- Ak Az
Cobb Actually Receives SIS, OOO---Cash
BY DAMON RUNYoN.

FEW YORK, Feb. Ebert BergS
N man. Of Bridgeport, Conn.-the
~ home Of Ray Heating. Battling
Levinsky n the munition factories
~propounds a brace Of queries.
What" inquiries Bert, was the re-
ported salary Of Iris Speaker. Of the
Boston Red Sox. for the season Of 1918?
Also. who is the highest priced player
in either Lacquer
Which provides US with a text for a
long discourse.
The reported salary Of the Lone Star
Ranger for 1915 was S1S,500. When
Iris returned to American in March,
1914, with the baseball delegation
which made a tour OF the world. he was
net by Joseph Lannin, president OF
tie Red SoX, and signed to a two year
contract at the above figure, according
to the rumors prevalent at that period.
We never heard Mr.. Lannin say hat
he was paying Iris S1s,5O0 per year.
but neither did we ever hear Of Mr..
amin denying the rumor that the
Texas go-getter was receiving that
' salary. We never take much stock in
the salary figures given out by the
msgnates, as they are inclined to
large upon those matters, partly from
force OF habit and partly because OF
a mistaken idea that 1t is a o to
baseball, but in the Speaker case we
are constrained to believe that he got
almost as much as stated. We believe
he got around $4,000 per season, any
way.
those baseball tourists returned and
money meant nothing to the magnates,
so it is possible Speaker really received
the s1s.500 so lightly mentioned then.
| You may recall that Bob Hedges, for
mer president Of the st. Louis Browns,
met the homecoming tourists with
Lannin and other baseball notables.
and Iugged the baggage Of one Lefty
I 7 49,. uAr#Lna" -aWahar finally
saving the woung man from the
clutches Of the Feds at a salary said
to have been $4,000 per year.
Afterward Leverenz pitched about
one game of baseball for the Browns,
and il was no great shucks Of a game,
| at that, so all of Hedges'S porter work
went for nothing. Lefty has since
passed to the minors
Cobb Gets the Money.
Returning to Iris, We find that he
was supposed to be the highest salaried
active ball player in the game for the
I past two years. that supposition being
based on the S1S.5O0 salary. II Iris
received $4,000 he was probably get
ting no more money than the redouta-
BILE Tyrus Raymond Cobb.
We are not pretending to speak with
any authority, but we are informed
by people who ought to be in a position
to know. that the Gem OF Georgia gets
all of SIS, 900 from the Detroit club.
and he will add several thousand dol
lars more to his income in the course
of the season in various avs.
Cobb is now very likely the highest
salaried active player in the land, rs
the war is over and it is said Tris's
salary has skunk back to $4,000 per
year. The Texan never compared with
Cobb as a gate attraction. No other
player in the country, with the posi-
BILE exception of Mathewson. has been
as good a drawing ard the past few
Nnnru as the star nf DfTia NFmhar ~
appearances considered, Matty has
probably produced more money at the
turnstile than Tyrus, but in the aggre-
gate CObb's record in that respect.
doubtless be found to exceed Matty's,
for the reason that Cobb has been in
the game nearly every day.
Let it be said to the credit OF the
New York club that il has never at
tempted to take undue advantage of |
to make capital of the great pitcher
by hippodrominE him In any way. Had
it pursued the policy OF announcing in
advance when big Six" was to work
n game. Il could have doubled the at
tendance and the receipts for that day
least for a time. i
The Fan Objects.
It would have been a bad policy in
the long run. however. for the curious
baseball fans are quick to resent any
1913 NAN "a AhE "a NAA0 mn NAAA I
ballyhOo in connection with their game.
one day last summer the announcer at
the Polo grounds went about the field
nroclaiming to the crowd that the
Nanks and the White SOx would play
a doubleheader the following day. and
Ed Walsh would pitch one Of the
sames- That trifling incident aroused
NO little adverse criticism.
The fan can figure for himself just
when a certain pitcher is due to work.
trantine that q staff is in good condi-
non; and working in turn, but he likes
think that the manager is going to
.ook mis- staff over just before the game
ana use the hurler who seems best
to work that day. And that.
Hoes.
We seem 10 be drifting far from Mr..
5ergman and his queries. but we might
.uu the real reason Chris Mathewsop
lds served the Giants so long IS be-
'ause OF the saving policy that has been
pursued with him by John J. McGraw.
Many another great pitcher has come
tnu gone IN Matty's time just because
managers took advantage OF their will
hshess 10 work constantly. Mathew
'ou mas been willing enough, but Nc