Evening star., 1921-12-18


5000, 900 into the present and future
when they bought Groh. OConnell.
Boone and others. Cincinnati took
100000 from New York and tossed
$35. 900 of it right over to the Califor-
mia promoters. Detroit tumbled $40
600 into the pot, and the New York
Americans had a bid of $25,00O re-
jected so often that they began to
believe it was only worth two Dts.
The sums that crossed the top OF the
table in playing this game were only
a bagatele compared to what was OF,
fered in smaller amounts and re1ecteo
or held up pending better oners. ine
Chicago Cubs would have put out
$4,000 for Groh, but Cincinnatl kneW
a deal could be closed with New York
for more at any time. Chicago came
back with bids for players of lesser
consequence, but the man VINO Is
leading the Cubs could not get what
he wanted, and very sensibly refused
to take what some OF the otners
wanted to give him.
Coasts Business Biggest.
The Pacific Coast League did a big
ever did In the/history OF the game;
The price for their players averaged
$4,000, and the coast magnates won
have to chase any wolves from tne
door this Christmas. IT the value OF
the players offered the Coast League
far from 100000 was caught IN the
tide that flows between the east and
the west. -,
The international League did not
have much to offer in the way OF
PLAYERS, but offers sufficient to total
around 500, 900 were made the Inter-
rational owners. Baltimore could
have gotten half that sum, or more,
any time the club was ready to put
three players on the market, or else
SONG of the major clubs have oeen
kidding.
Between players returned, players
accepted, players released outright
and players for whom negotiations
were undertaken the American Asso-
citation could count up tentative busi-
ness Of 100000. 1t can readily be
figured tht half a million dollars were
tossed hither and thither from the
time the first big offer was made at
Buffalo.
Game Bound to Suffer.
"This tawdry display of money will
react on the game in general" said
Barney Dreyfuss today. Dreyfuss Is
a conservative who has spent his
years in base ball trying to divorce
the game from the hawking about Of
a players, services. Once he paid
Eau
very well, but the Pittsburgh mag
nate denies that his is a sour grape
attitude. He insists that he has
learned that the public did not think
a bit more of his team because one
player had. cost him $4,000 than it
did when the team was composed of
players picked up on the sandlots.
He says the public is far more partial
to players from the sandlots who
make good than to players picked off
the minor league bushes for $4,000
and up.
There have been instances in base
ball where efforts were made to put
together strong teams for the express
purpose Of winning q pennant. Chi
cago tried 1t in the Brotherhood days,
but Boston came through with the
pennant. st. Louis tried it in the old
Union days, but the attempt was, a
fizzle which broke the millionaire that
put up the funds.
There was one instance where the
sale of one ball player to another
club probably won the championship
for the club that got the man and
the owner who let the player go
knew that it would. He could not
win himself. SO he got what money
was in sight.
Public VIII Get Curious.
There arc clubs operating now that
have figured In the past that It was
wiser. - lat hiEh-prtced playera n