New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1916-12-29
EBBETTS BOBS Up
AGAIN WITH Plan
Dodgers Owner Hopeful Of Getting
His Draft System Adopted

Brooklyn, N Y, Dec. 29.-The new
drafting system which Charles H.
Ebbets. president of the Brooklyn
club, has been advocating for several
years is again being pushed to the fore
by the FIatbush Squire. If Ban
Johnson is not able to outvote the
two National league members of the
National Commission, John K. Tener
and Garry Hermann, the Ebbets plan
will be indorsed when the commission
meets in Cincinnati next Tuesday.
Ebbets proposed his plan when he
had a second division club, and it was
rejected. Last winter Ebbets had a
first division club, and again he
his colleagues who passed it over to
the American league with their ap-
prevail. However, the American
league, voted against adopting the
Ebbets suggestion.
Now that Ebbets has pennant
winner, he still is anxious for the
adoption of his plan, which aims to
assist the tailend teams His own
league again has stamped it's approval
on the idea and sent it to the Ma
tional Commission.
In view Of the agitation in the
minor leagues for drafting reforms,
Ebbets last night sent out a statement
embodying not only his drafting
system but all the reforms which it
will bring about.
How 1t Would Work.
Ebbets' plan would give each of the
sixteen major league club numbers,
ranging from l to 16, the two tail
enders being 1 and 2, and the two
pennant winners 5 and 16, and the
other clubs ranging in between in the
order in which the teams finished
In the draft team 1 would make it's
selection of any player in the min or
leagues subject to draft Team 2
would have second choice, and so on
to Is, when the ladder would be
mounted again, starting with team 1. [
Ebbets also suggests it may be ad- |
visable to permit each team to select
two players at the same time.
Ebbets has added several new
features to his original plan. One
suggests that as soon as a clubs list
of eligible players reaches thirty-ive,
including players drafted at the meet |
ing, the club is automatically debarred
from further participation in the draft |
The second would prohibit q club |
from cancelling it's selection after an |
nouncing the name of player drafted: |
Reforms to Be Attained
According to Ebbets his proposed |
system would bring about the follow |
ing reforms: |
81. Minor league clubs throughout |
the country object to the present !
system of drafting, whereby major |
league clubs have the right to name |
an unlimited number of players in |
their drafting list, which later, being
reduced by cancellations, causes dis
satisfaction among the minor league
players who were named in the major
league list but were not drafted. The
proposed new system will only allow
major clubs to actually name and
draft the players they really require,
and prohibits cancellations; thus, the
objection of the minor leagues, as
above explained, will be eliminated.
"2. The elimination of the tech
meal evasion of the drafting laws as
now in force.
$50. The great benefits which will
accrue to clubs in the second division
of the major leagues who Will have a
free selection prior to those Of the
first division, to secure the player or
players most needed to strengthen
their respective clubs and thus in a
broader sense strengthen their
leagues.
a. Greatly facilitate and simplify
the present drafting regulations to the
better satisfa action of major and minor
league organizations alike"
No more sensible idea has ever
been advanced than this suggestion of
Ebbets, which if lived up to would
do away with practically all of the
present drafting evils.
There is no chance of the drafts
being lifted from the three Glass AA
leagues, as such a step would be OBJ
viously unfair to minor league players
ambitious for prom Otion. but the Eb-
bets plan ernbodies practically all the
reforms President Ed Barrow of the
International league says the minors
will seek in the event their plea for
Glass AA draft exemption is refused