The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-14
Crayath Tells Why He Traded
 Dave Bancroft
By JIM NASIUM

sporting Editor Philadelphia Inquirer In any enterprise, whether it is play during the game or a swap in playing talent, the fans have one great advantage over a ball club-they have the privilege
 of guessing again. If their first guess is wrong they can change it and make a second guess or even third guess is fourth guess. But ball club has to guess right the very first time-after that it is too late to guess.
 Concerning which we now introduce the Bancroft trade. Fans and critics are unanimous in declaring that it was bad deal for the Phillies, which on the face of things and a comparison of the known ability of the players involved so far
 as they are known to the public at largs it looks to be. If subsequent events prove that the fans and critics are wrong and it turns out to be a good trade for the Phils, then the fans and critics can guess again and say fine; let's go', But if it turns out to be 8 had trade and the Phils are wrong the ball club simply has to take it's medicine, It will be too late for them to change their views on the matter.
 After listening to Manager Cactus Cra-
 vath talking on the subject, the thing sounds more reasonable and easier to ex-
 plain. Cactus says:
 ''The public is looking at this thing
 solely on comparison of the ability of
 the players involved, and on that basis
 they are right in saying 1t looks like 9
 bad trade for us wouldn't be so foolish
 as to claim that Fletcher and Rawlings are as brilliant players as Bancroft can
 be when he wants to. But the point had
 been reached when I had to get Ban-
 croft off the team before I would have
 any chance to get results. He refused
 to report for morning practice saying
 he didn't need any practice. He openly
 admitted that he didn't need anybody to
 tell him what to do in a gall game; he
 knew what to do better than anybody
 else. In ball games we played in the
 west he flatly refused to field easy groun-
 ders and loafed on everything. It sim
 ply got to the point where he considered
 himself so great a star that he didn |
 have to work for the best interests of
 the team, and I don't think the public
 wants to see a ball player like that on
 any ball club, no matter how much abii-
 ity he may have. I know I don't want any player like that on my ball club.
 T didn't take this radical step without
 considerable thought on the subject.
 am sure the fans will support me in
 the stand I have taken. Anybody who has watched us playing since we came back from the disastrous trip through
 the west must realize that the team
 has not been playing the game 1t is
 capable of, even granting the weakness
 in pitching, and this has been caused by
 the careless and insubordinate actions of
 some of the players, and Bancroft was
 the ring leader. After due consideration
 of the conditions. and after making ev-
 cry effort to correct them. I finally de-
 cided to get rid of the disturbing fac
 tors I don't think the fans want to pay
 their money to see even a baseball star.
 great as he may be, out there cheating both the fans and his employers by re- fusing to put forth any effort to give something in return for the price of ad- mission. I am convinced that they would rather see player of less ability really trying than to see any star merely stall ing, and I know that I can get further with my ball club with such a player than with the star.
 "The whole thing is this: It isn't a question of how good a ball player can play; it is how good ne will play for you The only thing that benefits your ball club or those who pay to see it play | is not what he can do, but what he does do. When you finally let him go he may go to another team and play great bali, but that still doesn't show that you made mistake in letting him go. The facl 1 still remains that he wouldn't play that kind of ball for you.'
 And another thing,' Cactus added as l an after thought This is only the start. ! am going to have a ball club that will get out there and give the fans the best