Evening star., 1919-12-18
NOM|NATESEVANS
TOBOSS UMP|RES
Frazee Also Says He Is Ready
to Trade Any of Red Sox,
Including Babe Ruth.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON,

marry FraZee, fte0 SOx DOSS, ana one
| OF the most talkative members of the
trio of club owners who are after Ban
Johnson'S official scalp, has unburdened
himself of another earful in the verbal
warfare being conducted against the
president. and in that connection has
nominated Billy Evans to relieve john
son of that part of his duties which re-
late to supervision of the umpires. In
addition he has let it be known that
the Boston club is deadly in earnest
, in it's efforts to pull a deal that will
strengthen the Sox and that he is will
ing to let go of any member of the
team. including Babe Ruth.
What good is Ruth to the Sox if
we cannot win pennantS with him."
says Handsome Harry
The Hub mogurs assertion regard
ing the champion SwatSmith will not
be taken seriously, and it is likely his
suggestion in regard to Evans will
meet the same fate. Anyhow, here is
Frazee's latest:
johnson positively must be removed
Any level-headed young man could
mold the position of league president
IN his place, and 1 hope that such
young man is elected as his successor
II level-headed man were put into
the presidents chair it would be easy
enough to arrange things SO that base
ball would go along smoothly.
Nominates Evans for Job.
The umpires, who have given Pres
ident Johnson most work, could be
ieft In charge of a supervising ar
bitrator 1 would suggest Umpire
Billy Evans for such a position. 1
think he is one of the most compe-
tent men the game has ever had. He
could be given instructions by the
league to travel to the different cities
and watch the umpires work. 1t GER
tainly would be great thing for the
American League if such an arrange
ment could be made.
II do not think that taking Evans
away from umpiring to assume charge
of the staff would injure the game
any. Evans knows enough about UNI
piring to have first-class man in his
liable suggestions that the president
of the league is unable to do because
he has not had the experience.
Evans. 1 think. would jump at the
in the American League. His ex-
ecutive ability would help him. and
he also would have the greatest re-
spect from the men working under
him."
Nationals in their attempt to obtain
Tampa as a training camp. the Red
Sox now are without spring home
They will go to Hot Springs, Ark:
where the Pittsburgh Pirates will hold
m,
park opposite to that which Dreyfuss'
men will use.
Army Of Hold-Outs Expected
The plaint of the hold-out is being
heard in the land. Already stories OF
excessive demands by diamond atm
Ietes for their services are seeplng IN
from the various places wnere me
ter, and judged by the tenor OF their
demands this years crop Of "dtSSatis-
fed talent promises to be the largest
in the history of the sport The per-
stories of prosperity that were heard
on every hand at the recent base ball
meetings in New York. According 10
the information disseminated nearly
every club made money. and some OF
them scads of 1t. The players are
bound to insist on being declared in
on the prosperity, and for fat chunks
of it. too. The owners undoubtedly
are planning general increases Ior tne
deserving toilers on tnelr rosters: pul
the stars and those who consider them
selves entitled to this classification.
which means nearly all of them, Will
be seeking thousands where hundreds
are offered. and a merry correspond
ence war is in prospect th wnen con-
All indications point to the cost OF
base ball soaring next season, not only
in the major leagues, but In the NIL
Eors as we'll. The salary lists OF play
ers have almost doubled In three years
| in the Eastern League, where the sal
ary limit was 81 1900 in 1918. Last sea-
son 1t was boosted to $4,000 and next
year it will be $4,000. General raising
of salary limits throughout the minors
| is regarded as necessary, especially IN
the class AA organizations. Last sea-
son the International League operated
under a salary limit of $4,000. while
l for next year this has been increased
to $4,000, and similar action is ex-
| pected in the American Association and
| the Pacific Coast League.
Few Players Are Signed.
| In the majors few players are signed
for next year. The practice Of Offering
1 long-term contracts was done away
with just prior to the war. the mama
| gers having found that in many in
| stances it caused the athletes to take
things easy and also caused dissatis-
! faction among the other players
| This alone is conducive to fncreas-
| ing the hold-out army, but the play
! ers next year probably will find them
| selves more handicapped in pushing
\ their demands than last season, when
! operations with the minors had ceased
| and the supply of talent was limited.
Next year it is expected the majors
and minors will be working under n
new agreement of some kind. and
| unless a hold-out is a real star he
1 may ma ms place nileu with d
youngster If his demands are too stiff:
More young players probably will
be tried out at the spring training
camps next March than ever before,
for there is no limit on the time
American League clubs may spend in
the south. and the national leaguers
have taken off the ban and legalized
six weeks as the period for condi-
tioning.
Altogether the season Of 1920 prom
| 10 ho the hipRpSf hest and most
prosperous in the history of base ball
Only the factional scrap in the Amer
lean League now threatens general
serenity, and 1t is believed this will
be ironed out before the pennant cam
paign gets under way.
EIVIgEll hINANgE