New Britain herald., 1918-03-13

lClAL FAVORS
0R BALL PLAYERS
Stars and Rockies to Get Equal
Recognition Under New Rules

For the first time in the history of
baseball, all players in the National
league will be treated alike this sea-
son. There Will be no more petted
and pampered player who will receive
special privileges be >ause he has
grand opera singers temperam ent. A
new set of iron-clad rules has been
adopted by the league, and some of
the players are going to be shocked
when they get their first glimpse at
the new code.
Not since many of them attended
the little red schoolhouse will they
have been forced to live up to a set
of rules such as the league has laid
down this year The iron hand of
discipline will fall heavily on busher
and star alike, just as soon as they
hit the Southern training camps.
There is a binding clause in the play
ers contracts which enforces them to
obey the rules to the letter
Hereafter the players will have to
stop at the hotels designated by the
clubs or their expense money will be
withheld In the past many players
visited with friends or relatives in
various cities and received their ex-
penSe allowance Just the same. Now
they must stop at the hotel with the
club. Each player is allowed SO a
! day for meals in cities where the club
| stops at hotels on the European plan.
Meal money on trains will be al
/ lowed at the rate of $1.25 each meal.
| When the train is scheduled to leave
| after o'clock p. M, no allowance
| will be made for the evening meal
| nor will any allowance be made for
breakfast unless the train does not
reach the clubs destination by 9
! o'clock a. m.
There is one rule which is sure to
| bring forth a storm of protest from
| the superstitious players. That has
| to do with sending their uniforms to
| the laundry. The rules require the
players to keep their uniforms in as
clean condition as possible, both at
| home and on the road. While at
! home the uniforms will be Numbered
! at the expense of the club whenever
requested. When a club is having a
| winning streak, many players and
| managers firmly believe that it is bad
| luck to touch the uniforms, and so
| in the past many of the players ap-
| peared in uniforms which looked as
| if they had been dragged through the
| mud. Good luck or bad luck, they
| will have to be in close touch with
the cleaners this season, and the
: baseball club will make a. better ap-
| pearance even if it does not play any
| Better.
| No Taxis for Players.
| Here's another rule which will
| make the 1ordly players come down
! to earth: @Players must care for their
own baggage in getting to and from
the depot and their homes. Players
must make their own arrangem
| in seeking their homes upon arrival
| at the home city of the club. No
! ia xicab fare will be allowed in visit
| ing cities" That rule smashes a pre-
| cedent which has been established in
| the National league for a good many
| years. Players got into the habit Of
| travelling back and forth from the
| hotels in taxis and could not think
! CT carrying even a grip. Now they
will have to travel like ordinary NOR
/ tails.
No persons other than members of
the team and officials of the club will
| be allowed in the clubhouse or on the
| PLAYERS bench. Another rule which
| will make it hard for some of the
| players reads: "None of the players
will be permitted to use Intoxicating
| liquors or cigarettes to excess during
/ ing the training or playing season,
and the question as to whether
! liquors or cigarettes are being used to
excess by any player is to be deter
mined by the manager, and no one
else
The rules relating to the fining OF
players will be SITTER than ever be-
fore. When a player is fired for
| using obscene language during a
game the fine must be paid by the
player and will not be refunded I'M
der any circumstances. In the past
ball players have gone to extremes in
rowdyism because they knew that if
they we're fined the money would be
paid by the club. There will be no
more paying of fines by clubs, for if
a club fails to deduct from the play
cr's salary the amount of his fine the
club will be fined $3.50.
, There is still another rule which
says:
; mo player will be permitted to be
guilty in public of gross misbehavior,
including intoxicaton, fighting, quar-
; cling, inGccency or scandalous con-