Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-13
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.


One of the most important series OF
! conferences in the history of base ball
4 begins today in New York with the
| annual schedule meeting of the Ma
tional League. Tomorrow the national
! commission goes into session and
Thursday the club owners of the Amer
lean League will pass on their schedule
and take up other matters in prepare
| ton for the opening of the season.
Friday. in Newark, the International
League will meet to prepare the 1917
schedule and discuss the base ball out
look from the viewpoint of the minors.
| Little cosideration will be given the
| Players Fraternity at the meetings.
according to President Johnson of the
American League. Before leaving Chi
cago for New York today Johnson said
There is no chance for the Players
Fraternity to talk to US at this meet
ing. The American League severed con-
nections with the fraternity a long
time ago"
Johnson did say. however. that the
question of what to do in case the
United States should become involved
in the European war would be brought
up at the meeting of his league Thurs
day and that he considered that issue
far more important than this squab-
bic with the ball players"
Although a number of changes in the
playing rules have been suggested by
maSnateS players and fans since the
close of last season it is considered I'M
likely that the joint committee on rules
Will make any radical alterations in the
code. 1t is said the spit ball may be-
come passe after the close of the COM
ing season, but other changes designed
to strengthen the offense of the game
may go over for consideration a year
| from now.
Decision on the requests made by the
| special committee representing the ma
| tionaI association of minor leagues, the
most important of which is the plea for
| the elimination of the draft on class IA
and league teams. may be made by
the national committee at its meeting
tomorrow.
| Receipt by Manager Griffith late yes
terday afternoon of the second signed
contract to reach him that day brings
, the total number of Washington players
in line for the coming campaign up to
sixteen. Both of the documents, which
came in the mail yesterday. were from
members of his 1916 team. Griffith said
Just fifteen of the athletes remain to be
signed now, and the peppery pilot has
received assurances from several Of
those still outside the fold that they will
sign shortly.
Doc Ayers one of the number, has
written to his boss from Hillsville, Va,
where he practices medicine during the
winter months, that he is coming to
| town within a cay or two to try to
convince Griff that he is worth more
to the Nationals than the terms named
in his contract. Docs stipend was
sliced, owing to rather poor season
in 1916. but Griff is expected to get him
| in line by offering bonus in case
Ayers wins certain number of games
d 1ring the season.
Another communication Griffith has
received is from Bert Gallia. the Texan.
| Gallia writes that he is not in SYM
pathy with the players union in its
strike stand. and says he expects to be
on hand this year.
| Still another Of the local athletes to
send in a letter to headquarters is Carl
| Sawyer. The comedian tells Griff he
expects to give up the movies and stick
to base ball this year as a member OF
| the Nationals.
| Eddie Flaherty, the Washington boy
whose right-handed pitching wares will
! be looked over at Augusta. has OBJ
some preliminary work with the Dean
Academy nine. and expects to leave the
city shortly for Franklin, Mass.
| Although Manager Griffith is hopeful
that the evidence produced in the Hen
|
! ing in New York will not be of such a
nature as to necessitate his dropping
the catcher from the rolls of the local
club, he strongly disapproves the effort
| of some writer's to depict Henry as a
martyr; to hold him up before the pub
lie eye as downtrodden victim of the
| Vaccinations of organized base ball.
| Griffith said today:
| ut is doubtful in my mind whether
| HenryS work in behalf of the Players
| Fraternity merits his expulsion from
| the league, and I do not think President
Johnson ever said he intended driving
| him out of base ball, but it is very ap-
I parent that Henry has been over
Jealous; that he has overstepped the
! bounds. to some extent, in his advo-
F., cacy of the players rights. Henry, as
| the Washington representative of the
| fraternity, occupies the same position
as fifteen other men with the other big
| league teams. but none of these others
has carried his activities to the point
! Henry has. There is no question but
| that Henry is deserving Of censure.
| He has not kept within his province.
| But it is equally true that no proof has
been Forthcoming as yet that he has
| so far overreached himself as to war
rant his being expelled from the Ameri-
| can League.
| From New York comes the report that
| the American League is SO determined
| to crush the Players Fraternity that
it is prepared to proceed to the point
of an open rupture with the National
| circuit rather than permit the older
| organization to deal with the athletes
| union. 1t also is said that the Junior
| body is strongly opposed to the move
ment to cut the roster limit to sixteen
! or eighteen men. The American has
most of it's players signed. and if it
| should agree to cut down the number
! of men to be carried through the sea-
son the National League would be in
a position to grab off scores of prom
| Using young players the rival organi-
cation has gone to considerable expense
| to acquire.
! owner weeghman of the Chicago Ma
| tionals, before leaving for the New