The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-01
GRIFFITH SUGGESTS
BASEBALL PANACEA
Would Stop Sale and Exchange
Of Players Except on
Open Basis.
WANTS TO ASSIST MINORS
b FREDERICK q. LIBB.

Clark Gririth, manager and part own
! er Of the Washington club. has outlined
platform which he believes would be
a panacea for all ills Of professional
baseball.
' The basic feature OF Grifnth's idea 10
baseball He wishes to stop the traffic
in ball players and would remove the
player from the 'chatter' class. He
wants the game of baseball to put put on
q strictly sport" basis by both the major
and minor leagues. He would have the
clubs make their revenue by money taken
in at the gate and not by player sales.
He risidly defends the reserve rule.
the draft rule and the waiver rule. and
In their proper enforcement he would do
away with sales He would not permit
| club TO trade or sell q player, or to
dispose of him except by the waiver
route. All transactions in baseball
would be made through the waiver and
draft rules II his theory was put into
actual practice.
| Where more clubs desire the same
player he is to be awarded by lot. For
| Instance. when the Boston Americans
! had it's quarrel with Iris Speaker, under
| the Griffith system II could not have
| sold him to the highest bidder. The
Red Sox would have had to announce to
| tho other clubs that Speaker was to be
| disposed Of Naturally all other Ameri-
| can League clubs would have put in a
bid for him and Speaker would have
! gone to the lucky club that drew him by
| lot.
ariftlth would increase the number OF
! players that are taken out Of the minors
! by draft. In fact the draft would be the
| only promotion from the minors, as he
would not permit a minor league club to
| sell its players.
: Would stop "FarminG."
| However. he would more than make
| this UP with the minors by doing away
| with all optional agreements and all
farming OF players. Any OF the big
league players that could not be used
would be disposed Of by waiver. and II
they passed through the big leagues,
they eventually would return to minor
| league clubs.
Griffith outlines his theory for run
ming baseball in a statement sent us
yesterday. which follows
"Organized baseball. both major and
minor. can be governed by three rules
| which will give Justice and equity to
player and club owners alike.
Il. The reserve rule.
80. The draft rule.
80. The waiver rule.
| THE reserve rule will protect clubs
| property rights and investments.
THE draft rule will insure the ad-
/ uar a. he nj IN.
sion.
The waiver rule protects the club
owner and at the Same time the rights
| OF the player
Rules that shall govern the appl,ca-
| tion Of the three above mentioned rules
TO be as follows, viz:
II. No club shall be permitted to sell
| or buy a player except by the waiver
rule.
80. Waivers cannot be recalled.
80 All clubs to work under a close
player limit.
-. That all minor league players
| shall go TO the draft.
IS. No club shall be allowed to trade
player.
70. The number OF players to be
| drafted in class IA and A to be greater
than the number the rules provide for.
-. The waiver price OF clubs In the
same classification 10 be the same
amount.
IS. The waiver price on a player
classed as a drafted player shall be
the same as the amount for which he
was drafted.
80. The waiver price on all other
| players TO be the regular waiver price
of the league requesting the waiver
As to Selling Players.
40. Any club IN any league wishing
to dispose OF the services OF a player,
waivers shall be asked, only clubs in
| the same CLASSIFICATION shall have the
right TO claim said player the clubs OF
the league requesting the waiver to have
prior claim. should two or more clubs
claim the player it shall be decided by
| lot to which club he shall go IL the
| player be not claimed in the classical
| ton requesting waivers, and the club
requesting waiver no longer desires the
services OF the player, then and in that
event the player shall become subject
| TO claim by clubs In lower claSsihcations
| according to the now existing rules (:
when II Is determined which club shall
have the services OF the player. said
| club shall get the player free OF cost
THE above rules will emancipate the
player, he will no longer he bargained
| In as a chattel.' Ii will also prevent
tho farming and manipulation OF play
ers by the clubs
The important thing to all clubs con-
cerned is that IT would equalize the
chances OF clubs in every league Of get
ting the services Of players Each club
would have TO depend on drafting and
developing It's players, instead of buy
ing the already made
! THE benefits accruing from the above
1 wound he much greater to the minor
leagues than 10 the majors. The minors
would get the draft price for player
and get him back or some one else in
his stead for nothing. The minor
| leagues backs have been broken by car
It major league owned players and
being unable TO get players when they
wanted them. The major leagues, and
in fact all leagues. should be compelled
to cut their roster 10 the players limit
by the commencement OF their season.
This would allow all clubs in lower clas-
slhcations TO have n chance TO get the
players that they need.
Back to Real sport.
Baseball should he put on sport
basis by minor league and major alike,
and the way to do this is to quit trying
to live on selling players but by the
gate patronage. II club can't live that
way there is no other The rankest fail
ures in the class AA and a leagues are
the clubs that have tried to live on ped
ding players,
'"The 1917 National Association record
shows that the National Association paid
the ajors s110,050 for optional agree
ments and outright sale of players, The