The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-10-05
RUPPERT'S HOT REPLY
Answer to Minor Leagues Who
Protest Recall OF Players.
Action Not Taken Until Every Other
Means Had FsiIed-presldent Co
mlskey Of Chicago White sox
Would Not Assist,

Colonel Rupert OF the New York
American League club, when asked to
reply to the criticisms emanntlng from
minor League cities upon the recall OF
players belonging To the New Yorks
from the lower leagues, said:
"ihc unprecedented number of ncci-
dents Ia tI" New York tcnm which ln-
jrr"h their six best players. namely,
Baker, Mngc", MniScl, G%llhoolcy, High
nnd 'ullop, coupled with the illness ot
Fisher aud Gctlron. und the detection
OF Caldwell, put tn" team In such "A
crippled condition that these was no
alternative but To recall three Of the
New York players loaned to the minor
leagues, viz. Arngon, Smoker nnf
Miller. The recall Of these players wns
done only rs II last resort. We bought
Oldring to hll Gilhoolcy's place. Mr..
Huston aud myself went 10 Chicngo
tn meet Connie Mack to try To buy,
borrow or steal Strunk. but Mr.. Muck
would listen To no proposition Of my
kind, and perhaps properly 50.
W. tried To get one of Comiskty's
extra outficlders, hut he would not
consider II cash purchase. and we
could not spare any player In n trade
that would be acceptable to him. We
mnde OvcrtureS for Tobln, but st.
Louis needed that o~utflelder. We eS-
hnusted every effort to get big league
players and In desperation decided
that we could do nothing else but
bring In our players from the minors.
But we tried tn make Il as ensy ns Il
was In our power To do So, for tho
clubs from which the players were
taken. But bear In mind that We had
q perfect contract right tn recall these
players. The optional agreement un.
der which these players We're sent To
the minors provided that they may be
returned To uS upon short notice, AMI
that we inny In turn recall the players
upon five days notice. The several
minor l"ngue clubs were fully aware
Of what they were agreeing to because
every one of them objected to the
recall claus" and finally acQui-Sccd
In II when we would hav" II no other
way. We called Mr.. .JuhnSnn's atten.
tion tn this clause In our optional
agreements.
THE minors have repeatedly taken
ndrantngc Of their right 10 return "a
ia our players this year. In one In.
stnnce they have returned II player
With IN utter Disregard for our inter.
eSts, and In another case have re-.
turned II player ~ account Of their
own peculiar financial conditions.
Louisville returned Carroll Brown, CO.
lumhus sent us back Don brown. 70.
ronto left Layton flat on our hnnds,
DoC Cook vas shuutcd buck by Oak
land, and IS Il"h drvolvcd upon us
from Newark. 1t IL II poor rule that
won't work both ways.
I'VE can't see how the minors cnn
object 10 our exercising our coutractu.
il rights when they 80 ruthlcssly take
ndVantag" If their rights. Tut even
had we no right to recall the plnv.
"rS We feel that the minor leagues
should help us "ut In our dire nc"cs.
S,ty, for "" certainly distributed
among them Inst year Il big sum of
money which must hav" helped out
not II little In the darkest year base
ball has possibly ever seen"