New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-30
By W. J. Macbeth

According to stories that have been
published in California, Duffy Lewis,
the former Red Sox slugger, who was
recently secured by the Yankees along
with Dutch Leonard and Ernie Shore,
intends to begin his metropolitan
career as "holdout."
II feel that I am free agent and
am entitled to do as l please Duffy
IS quoted as saying. "The Boston club
hasn't given me a contract since 1917,
and therefore | feel that l am no
longer connected with it.
However, should there be sufficient
financial enticement l certainly will
make the switch
ITS no more than right that should
be In on the money end, in view of
the fact that | am good enough to be
traded.
Boston had no right to go over my
head III making a deal. and | am GER
family going to register a big kick if
there Is 70 financial gain" concluded
Lewis
Lewis expects soon to be discharged
from the United States navy. He is
located at Mare Island, where he de
veloped fine service baseball team
last summer. Lewis was one of the
first major league ball players to en-
list. For a long time he was chief
yeoman, but recently was placed on
sIcclal service as an intelligence
officer.
Heretofore Lewis has not been an
unreasonable sort of player, ard it is
probable that when Miller Higgins has
ns-tt1 ~ tr,1l @,> Il, +l>n
player may change his mind At any
rate the crack outtielder intends to
come East as early as February to give
the club officials Il chance to review
his case. Dyed-in-th e-wool holdouts
do not show such signs of weakness.
AS matter of fact, lot of the boys
are due for Il rude awakening. Unless
the magnates themselves pull
"Brodie" the holdout brigade should
shrink to nothingness before it is time
to report for spring practice. Whether
makes little difference. They will be
unable to place their services on the
auction block if none of the owners
weaken. gentlemcn's agreement will
| revent any operator molesting or en-
couraging negotiations with players
other than those of his own reserve
list. Lewis and Leonard, like many of
the other stars, it would seem are
talking loudly now in the hope of at
tracing the best possible salary terms
fer 1919.
Harry Frazee, the owner of the world
champion Red Sox, is a rather modest
cuss. Last year he stepped out and
bought a pennant after the war had
Mclnnis, Bush, Strunk and Schang
Mclnnis, Bush, Struck and Schang
from the Athletics A short time ago
he gave up Duffy Lewis, Ernie Shore
and Dutch Leonard in order to snare
Al Walters, Ray Caldwell, Frank Gill
hooley and Slim Love.
Frazee won a pennant last season
without the services of the three New
Yankees. The recent trade left him
with more material on his hands than
he had had before. And some of this
material, undoubtedly, he intends to
utilize in building up his fences.
According to Burt Whitman, a we'll
posted Boston writer, Frazee has de-
signs on new and hard hitting out
field He proposes to land Joe Jack
son and Hap Flesh, who are supposed
to be in bad with Comiskey, from the
White Sox and is also angling for
Veach and Roth in the hope of landing
one to work with "Shoeless" Joe and
Happy if Commy will. part with either
OF both.
The old Roman, however, il is said,
is not so provoked at Jackson as he is
supposed to have been when Joe took
French leave last summer. Indeed,
word comes from Chicago that Comis-
key declares Jackson was maligned
and misrepresented and that he will
find the fatted calf waiting for him
upon his return in the spring. With
Fetish it is a different matter. There
is little likelihood of Happy getting
back into the good graces of the Chi
cpgo magnate.
While the two major league presi-
dents are daliying at the annual meet
ing of the National Commission at