The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-18
WEEK OF UNUSUAL. PLAYER REALS M BASEBALL CLOSES
Many Large Sums Offered for Star Players, and Cash
 Changes Hands
By GEORGE cHADwIUK Special Correspondent of Ths ge-Herald (ronvrtrIt 1921 by The ARe-Herald)

Copyright, 1921. by The Age-Herald)
 New York, December 1.-The most frenzied and sensational session of the player market that baseball has ever known closed today, but the owners of professional ball clubs are still making bids and offers on the curb" There has never been such a display of "garish gold and glitter ing wealth, as the poet laureate of the big leagues puts 1t, since the game was adjusted to financial foundation of some safety as was made this week,
 The older conservatives, who were won to sh when anyone mentioned money and baseball in the same breath, are almost expiring of pa ralysis and chagrin.
 Big Sums Up
 The New York Nationals put about s200000 into the present and future when they bought Groh, O'Connell. Boone and others. Cincinnati took S100.00O from New York and tossed s35,000 of it right over to the Cali fornia promoters. Detroit tumbled s4000o into the pot and the New York Americans had bid of $25'o00 rejected so often they began to be- lieve it was only worth two-b bits.
 The sums that crossed the top of the table in playing this game were only a bagatelle compared to what was offered in smaller amounts anl rejected Qr held up pending better offers. The Chicago Cubs would have put out $50, ,000 for Groh, but Cincin- nati knew a deal could be closed with New York for more at any time.
 Pacific Coast on Top
 The Pacific Coast league did a big ger cash business than any minor league ever did in the history of the game. The price for their players aged S10,000. and the coast mag mates won't have to chase any wolves from the door this Christmas If the value of the players offered the coast is included with the cash, a sum not far from s20o,000 was caught in the tide that flows be- tween 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 Sl00,000 were made the own CTS. Baltimore could have gotten half that sum or more any time the club was ready to put three players on the market or else some of the maJor leagues clubs have been kid ding.
 In American Association
 N1SNN SSii PidS CTS TtJuFleQ. players accepted, players released outright and players for whom negotiations were undertaking, the American asso- citation could count up tentative busi- ness of Sl00s000 It can readily be figured that S500.000 were tossed hfth- CT and thither from the time the first big offer was made at Buffalo.
 This tawdry display of money will react on the game in general" said Barney Dreyfuss today. Dreyfuss is conservative, who has spent his years in baseball trying to divorce the game from the hawking about a players service. Once he paid s22.000 for a player who did not do very well, but the Pittsburg magnate denies that his is sour grape attitude. He says the public is far more partial to play CTS from the sandlots who make good than to players picked off the minor leagues bushes for s10000 and up.
 Trying to Buy Remnants
 There have been instances in base ball where efforts were made to put together strong teams for the express purpose of winning a pennant Chi cago tried it 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 | 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 him. self so he got what money was in sight
 Playing Safe
 There are clubs operating now that have figured in the past that it was wiser to let high-priced players go to a high-priced city than to retain them and try to fight for a pennant. l From an ethical standpoint that is a | sad weakness in professional base ' ball, but emergencies arise where the game is promoted as a speculation which bring the results about.
 Paying huge sums for players and pQradiag money values as against in