The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-02-08
BILL SKIFF QUITSLOCAL BALL. TEAM Crack Catcher, Sold to Little Rock, Says Club "Put
 One Over" SAYS LANE REFUSED
 TO KEEP HIS WORD
By A. G. JACKSON.


 B:ffing Bill Skiff, catcher extraor- dinary and swatter de luxe, is lost to the Bridgeport Baseball Club. The New Rochelle electrician who has been crowned king of all the Eastern League maskmen for the last three seasons will play here no more, and 1t is almost a certainty that he will never again be seen within the pre- cincts of organized baseball, for Pres ident Clark Lane, Jr. has sold him to the Little Rock, Ark, club of the Southern League, and Skif has re- turned his contract, unsigned.
 BITTER AT LANE
 Biffing Bill, idol of fans and play CTS alike, and known to every small boy in the city, was in town yesterday trying to secure his promised clear ance papers from the local club. Pres ident Lane and Manager Gene Mo Cam tried all morning and half the afternoon to make the stocky catcher accept a salary cut and sign on, but Bill would have none of it.
 Lane is piker and a promise breaker" Skiff informed the writer, land I told him so to his face. He has not kept his word.
 Last year Lane sent me a letter in which he declared over his own signature that if I wasn't sold to a league of higher classification by Feb. 1, 1921, he would make me a free agent
 'T received a communication from Lane on January 25 informing me 1 Rock, Ark, club. which is in the same classification all Eastern League clubs. came up here last week and argued with Lane. After our conversation I was unable to find out just what there was behind the sale, but it looked as though they were trying to put one over on me- , knowing full well that I would never play ball in the south.
 THROUGH WITH BRIDGEPORT.
 T imagine that there was g. strong l string attached to me, and it was planned that 1 should be sent back whipped and beaten, to Bridgeport to ! play for the ridiculous salary they offered me. But I guess I spoiled 1 their plans for them. I won't play in Little Rock, and you can bet your hat I'll never play for a man like l Lane again.
 Tn spite of the fact that I was l sold, Lane and McCann attempted to 1 negotiate with me. They offered me | a s250 bonus for signing, and a sal | ary of $350 month. There are two clubs in the Eastern League which ! offered me $500 a month and a biz
 
 agents this month. These clubs are i not making the money that Bridge port is making, either.
 l There are two clubs in the Inter | national League and one in the American Association which also l wanted me, but I'm through so far as organized baseball is concerned, of i course.
 Calls It TechnicaIity. 1 T asked Lane why he hadn't kept mo I1 pointed out that I was not sold to a league of higher classification, but that was just a technicality, of course It's a fine way to skirt around your promise, just to put one over on . man, isn't it?"
 Biff1ng Bill said that he had played all last season at his 1919 salary merely because he was told he would be sent to the major leagues or made a free agent, and he was vitter over the way in which he had been duped
 Skif came here from the Hartford club in 1918 under Paul krichell, ant materially helped the Bridgeport tean in compiling it's world record of |
 consecutive wins at the outset of tha
 season. Skiff still wears the littl
 gold medal that was presented to tn
 players after accomplishing that feat l The New Rochelle electrician hi e when lhe established a new 1eagu ] record for combing out safe hits il n consecutive games. establishing e total of 21 before his big bat was si - fenced He set out to equal this mar | last season. but fell down after n games when he failed to get a hi t as a pinch hitter he failed to get a hi e bat. He turned in a hitting De s centage of 294 in 1918; .30S in 191 , and .316 last season.
 T Detection Jolts Flag Chances II The loss of this star maskman vii D n set the club away back in it's quest fo e pennant this year, it is general . (Continued on Page Four)