The Washington herald., 1916-01-17
Tinker A Costly Player
To @. B. Magnates
Federal and Major League
Moguls Have Spent $4,-
100000 on Jumper.

New York, Jan. is.-Joe Tinker cost
organized baseball and Federal League
magnstes a sum close to $4,000, 900
and Joe loses nothing.
Had it not been for Tinker's action
in jumping TO the Feds in the winter
of 1913 the Federal League probably
would have died a year or so ago
and It would have died before it cost
the magnstes millions of dollars.
As long as baseball lasts Tinker will
be remembered as the players great
est benefactor. and also as the costliest
player that ever trod upon a baseball
diamond.
OF course, II you wish to go back
to the start OF things you can place
the blame for the existence Of the Fed
eral League upon Messrs. Ebbets ana
Hermann. who gummed up things so
horribly during their negotiations that
Tinker got his chance to jump.
Ebbitts' "Boner."
Tinker ended the 1913 season as
manager Of Herrmann's Reds Garry.
however, was tired OF him and wanted
to sell him. Ebbetts wanted to buy.
Some sort OF deal was finally put
through in the barroom of the Wal
ping corks.
The price was sa5.ooo Hermann to
get $4,000 and Tinker to be given
the other $4,000 as a sort of bonus!
But Ebbetts didn't pass the $4,000
along to Tinker right away. Charles
yearned for publicity. He has received
quite a bit of 1t when he agreed to
pay S25.OOO for Tinker, which, at that
time, was a record figure. So Charles
just fused and fused" a bit more.
Tinker was eager to sign but he want
ed the $4,000 first He waited pa
tIsntIy for that $4,000 but it didn't
come along.
And then Joe Tinker startled the
baseball world and made" the Fed
ersl League by jumping to the Chicago
Feds He got a contract that called for
$4,000 a year for three years. He got
$4,000 in cash upon signing and his
contract was an iron-clad affair.
Others Aped Tinker.
No one had paid much attention to
the Federal League up to that time.
But Tinker's jump gained nationwide
prominence. Other players figured that
IL Tinker was willing to take a chance
by quitting organized baseball they
could do likewise, provided. of course,
that they, too. got fancy contracts.
Tinksr's jump to the Feds not only
influenced other stars to jump, but
il also smoothed the magnate-fnding
campaign of James A. Gilmore. Up to
that time Gilmore was confronted with
a real task in trying to interest cspi-
tai. But when Tinker jumped and
other stars aped him Gilmore rounded
up half dozen wealthy men and they
threw their money into the Golfers of
the Federal League.
And then the baseball war began in
diapond stars of organized baseball
and organized baseball in it's efforts to
hold it's players. outbid. the Feds in
many cases. Salaries of players were
doubled and tripled. And practically
each one of the contracts with the
star players were for a three-year
period,
An average increase of around $4,000
per year was paid by the sixteen clubs
in the organized majors to about $50
ball players Practically all of those
boosts were for a three-year perioc.
This means in cold figures, that the
pGyrolls of the sixteen clubs in the
American and National leagues were
increased 100000 per year or $4,000
for the three years.
In addition to this. the organized base
ball magnates suffered big losses in
1914 and 1915 due to loss of patron
age, due partly to the war. The total
decrease in the receipts of National and
American leagues for 1914 and 1915,
attributable solely to the war that
Tinker really started, was close to
$4,000. The sum may have gone be-
yond s5OO.OOO.
These figures show that the loss to
organized baseball due to the war was
close to S1.5OO,0OO. The losses of the
Federal League magnates probably
reach a similar figure. They may go
beyond.
The minor leagues, as a whole, lost
at least $1,000. 900 because of the war.
Four million dollars at a conserva-
tive estimate, is what Joe Tinker di-
rsctly and Ebbetts and Hermann in
directly cost the club owners. Which,
in the slang parlsnce, is quite a bulky
flock Of bills.