The evening world., 1919-02-12
Poor Baseball Likely
Until Return of Stars
From OUerseas Service

minors declared their independence
(although as yet the major leagues
have not signed the agreement they
pledged themselves to sign). Here
after. when major league club
wants a play 1t will have TO pur-
chase him outright. Buying and
selling between the major clubs
themselves has been restricted by
agreement. Tho effect of the change
ought TO be doubled; IL ought to put
an end to the frenLied bidding for
players. and II ought TO enable the
clubs TO pay part OF the money saved
to players in the form of salaries.
| 1t can be done. Connie Mack dis
covered that fact years ago. He
figured that II was foolish to pay
$4,000 or $4,000 to some club for
an average or Just above average
ball player when he could go out
among the semi-pros or the coll
leges and find n young player OF as
much or more natural ability and BY
investing a quarter as much money in
training him have a better player and
ono who played ball his way. The
result was that he had a ball club
which cost him practically nothing
and, even in city which has cheap
baseball, he could afford to pay them
|
pionships, sold most OF tho players for
high prices and started doing the
same thing again.
Yet the majority OF managers
would rather pay a big price Tor
a half seasoned ball player than to
take fast. smart youngsters and train
them. McGraw, who has had more
uniform success with teams than any
other man, usually has several OF this
type OF men in his training school,
keeping them with his club anG
J teaching them his way OF playing the
game. Frank Chance was exactly the
opposite and 30 was Frank Selee
! Neither wanted young ball player
3 around the team and could not bear
him. They wanted men OF expert
ence, already taught, on their teams
Chance chased half "A dozen yer,
D promising youths off his club. Sele'
tried to chase Artie Hotmann OF The
field and Evers only held his Job BY
-, flghting and proving his ability.
i Managers have always neglected
e the sclective part OF the game. Th
i managers who have succeeded con
. sistently have been those who took
personal interest in selecting IN
players. studying their habits an
Il ting and fielding averages.
e The point is this: The United state
!, In going TO adopt military training q
our youth in some form. The reslll
Is that our physically perfect hoy
will get intensive physical traininI
= For a year or two their baseball wi
be in training camps instead OF I
semi-pro or prep school teams.
ID means that our recruiting groun
2 for players will be changed. I belleV
m II means a better type OF player an
h better baseball,
y Owners ought TO begin to loo
IT, ahead now II the quality OF maJ'
N league baseball is TO be restored an
ne then maintained.
7 Asst year, II II proved anythin
proved that there are more goc
se ball players than owners an
az managers have led US TO believe. II
a trouble has not been lack OF goo
% players. hut lack OF opportunity
on these men 20 show their ability II
no scouts have combod tho min
as leagues, looking usually for eX2ei
,,,, encod men "who would do" la
Ia. year, when the exodus TO the arm
''' navy and shipyards began two scu
re youngsters were dragged into the /
on leagues to MI In, and last year I
ns leagues, bad as they were, develop
twice the number OF eNceptiona
W promising players than in an ordina
wn season. The bad baseball was pli ~
II by the veterans brought back frs
m the minors. The life and interest we
%, furnished by hustling youngsters &,
w ting their first chance,
me Just now, with players, good, b
me and indifferent demanding more r
era in the face of a necessary reducti
oo OF expenses, the owners have omar
Wv 10 recruit young teams OF hustle
Ill ANY Y. NJ. c. A. director with a
the division or the American Army {