Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-02-04
BILLY SMITH TALKING
AND SIGNING PLAYERS
Promising Pitcher and OutfieIder AZ
fix Names to Richmond Contracts.
Manager Has Others on String.
DISCUSSES sTHIKE MATTER
Fa'ors Closing Parks to Teach Play
crs Scnse-Iichtenhein of Mon
trcal, Would Force All Frat Mem
bers From League.

George Disicl an outlcli"r. and Wal
Ter G"ycr. pitcher. Both are young.
and, according ii the reports sent by
those who recommended them to l:iiiy
smith. are promising.
Gistel halls from Madison Ind lie
Is twenty years old, five feet min. and
- half inches tall and weighs l15
pounds. Last season he played with
the Dayton. ., club. OF the Central
League. and before that was with the
Huntington. W Va, club. or the ohio
state League. H." was secured from
Dayton upon tn" strong recommends
lion Of Ezra Midkin. who reported that
he hit .2a2 and neIded .a7o last year.
Gcycr is an eighteen year-old young
s,cr from Detroit who claims Detroit
AS his HON" and braps about il. Hes
a right-hander and comes with the
strongcs, recommendations from B,ll
Byron. who viii be remembered here
as one Of tho best umpir"s who ham
died the Indicator in the Virginia
state League. G"y.r is FIVE feet
eleven and "a half inches tall ANA
weighs $50 pounds
Your Uncle BIliy Smith is not mark
ing time even during th"s" wintry
days. He IL keeping ia close touch
with number of recruits in whom
ther" ia promise Of development and
has been successful ia carrying ne
-
in several other cases. However. Bill
L. according to reports. is not giving
any and everybody AN opportunity OF
ai'iying his John Henry TO Il contract,
lie Is picking 'ciu carefully and be
licves he u'ill gather squad her. next
month tina, will includ" men slated
for regular positions on tho 1917 team
and some fea who's. ability wiil war
rnur their hcing itrn-i out Will
strings attached.
Ana Incidentally William Audr"w
Smith has given verbal express
sion 10 Il few sentiments regarding tn.
possible players strik" II" has v"ry
decided opinions IN tina, regard and
is not shy IN stating them.
Says William Andrew:
STRIKE? why, there's no such luck
IN store for tho minor l.asu" of this
country. y strik" would mean a r"v"-
luton in minor league baseball when
the strike was over. ard that rcvolu-
;ion would permit bali clubs TO make
ON" money. winch thcv haven't "a
chance 20 do under present conditions.
Suppose III" ball players did strike
and they had enough men in the fra
tcrnity TO go out 10 make the thinr;
serious. Al! Tho minor league mag
'iateS WOULD have 20 10 would b" %
shu, up their ball parks. and they
" ould max" ruon"y-or rather they
"Not one minor league ball club IN
one hundred made money last season.
Tor tic simple reason hat absurd SAL
aries are being paid minor l-agu" ball
players. The pcrccntap" OK money
making clubs will b. smaller ,his year
for. bclicv" me. All ,his talk about
a strike has done :, lot to hurt Tn.
game The uagEatrs know This. and
they won't regret closing ,h"!r plants
II hu.
Il know I'm talking against my "wn
job I'm paid 10 mauac" bali clint.
IL there's no bal! club. I'm out OF Il
lob; but wouldn't blame the pcopl"
ii they closed every park in tn" Land.
For then tn" players would h"gIu Ia
get some sense,
Players Would lie Sufferers.
They would b. tin" people 10 suffer.
Can YOU imagine what tina; h"rd" OF
fellows who ar. getting anywhere from
$3.50 to $500 a month from minor
league clubs during the summer will
do Well. | can tell YOU. II will be-
back 10 the farm. $50 month and
their keep. for them. or back to the
country store. or back 10 tn. iron
foundry. or back TO the coal mines
'Oh. | guess the old way OF making
a living Will look fine Ia them after
Years Of riding in private Pullmans,
eating on diners, stopping at the best
hotels. being interviewed in uewspa-
pers and drawing h!.; fat salaries.
II guess it will make q whale Of a
hit. guess they'll bless the name OF
Davy Fuitz. Yes. they will not.
II don't blame l'ultz for stirring Up
this trouble. He has been making n
lot OF money for this fraternity. and
nc hasn't done anything 10 help IN.
ball players He couldn't Everything
was being done for them. anyway.
ll,,t l.N h.I IL .s1h In IL
money, and he stirred UP this strike
Fine business.
Maybe. though, when the strik" is
over. we'll have some real baseball
we haven't had il since the fraternity
was organized There was too much
brotherly love stuff between ball play
ers. There wasn't that old rivalry and
hatred OF each other that made the
game good.
I'm glad this strike thing has come
up. for 7 sec in il an end of tho fra
ternity. and return of the good old
game to the place II once occupied
and should occupy for all time to
come"
And there are several ma ior league
managers who agree with William An
drew in that respect They 90 q" far
ns to maintain that tn" wrangling be-
tween maInatCS and players NAV be
continued for another season.
some of tho players who have been
such close pals in the past will not
he quit" as friendly next season" says
Wild Bill Donovan, OF tie Yankees:
and Uncle Wilbert Robinson and
-ohnny NcGraw are also Of this opin-
.',n
they believe that the threatened
strike Of the fraternity will bring
about n condition which has been
reeAcd In baseball for a number OF
years--lcss of the frnternal spirit
among players on the field Of play
and more rivalry. which Is needed to
put ginger into the games
ATany's the time We have heard
fans remark that the plavers on on
nosing teams are too friendly. Visit
ing each others clubhouses and
benches and chatting in corfdcn-
tial way during the progress OF
game OF ball takes something OF The
spirit. Of competition from the pastimc.
they say.
The belief expressed by Bill Donovan
was recently rccount+d by Joe Tinker
tho cX-manaEcr OF the Cubs Joe says
that members of the fraternity and
nonmcmbers of the organization held
each ether aloof. He claims that his
failure to keep the Cubs In the men,