Evening star., 1921-12-06

That is the vital issue. because hav-
Ing once universal measure OF base
ball government graduation OF play
ers upon the payment Of certain fixed
charges. commonly known as the
draft price. there are many In base
ball who would gladly go back to
it again. There are others who give
1t the cold shoulder.
/ strongly Opposed to II.
Compulsory selection is finding no
friends at home in any one of the
three class AA leagues. They want
none of it and the spokesmen are
as set against it as they were when
the subject was broached at the gen
eral conference in the middle west.
which resulted in the present work
Judge Landis as commissioner of
base ball. The leagues making up
class AA are the Pacific Coast, the
American Association and the new
International.
John Conway Toole, president of
the International. is very fatty a
stand patter." Present conditions.
he insists. should not be changed
unless some better reason can be
advanced for a change than has been
argument for the draft that is better
than the arguments which he has
heard in Chicago They did not pre-
vail then and. in his opinion. they
should not prevail now.
Might Break Away.
If the class AA leagues should be
| pressed hard. enough against their
| inelinations they might insist upon
setting UP a. little organization all
intermediates. perhaps. or possibly
they would insist that they were
majors Then there would be two
sections of majors instead Of one:
! BY separating from the other minor
! leagues the latter could go forward
with any draft plan they saw fit. They
| could be governed by their own or.
ganization. while the new section of
base ball would proceed to govern it.
self as the National League and the
American League govern their IN
| ternal affairs.
! 1t is true that this Is a very radical
plan, but it has been discussed. The
class AA leagues are inbued with self.
confidence up to their necks. TheJ
are chipper. perk and full of fight ano
."pep." They are satisfied with theii
season. Even the International, whicf
was supposed to have weak mem.
ber." says that club hasn't evincec
the slightest inclination not to keeI
on trying for a championship. ane
when a man is willing to try and pay
| the price no" are you eOihS " WI .
him adrift? Some men are just al
ambitious to win a championship II
base ball as others are to win horse
race with a colt bred on their owl
farm.
Have Plenty Of Fight.
Class AA leagues are not spineless
that is certain. They stand yer!
straight and erect. and insist tina
they have a place in the base bal
| Sro
4 President Knebelkamp of the Louis
VILE club, head of the champions o.
the little world series" stated th'
case very ably when he said that win
ming a championship to him was JUS
the sport he had when as boy n
tried TO pick out the best broncho il
corral There is proper sporting
blood He knows why he is in bas'
ball.
made base ball a factor in the middle
! west, who is out Of 1t for the moment
and SAYS that he does not think tina
he will ever return-they all say tina
lis inclined to look upon the condi
ton of the minors as sufficiently sat
isfactory and not in need Of reflt
ting.
Ruth Decision Causes Stir.
A big stir was caused at the meet
ing by the decision of Judge Lands
in the Ruth case. 'Whew." said thu
president of one of the major leagu,
lclubs, with an intake of breath, that
hell" Which was some comment ant
lucidIy brief.
The two colonels, Rupert and Hus
ton, who are here meeting up" will
the minors. are game. The case ha.
been decided, and there is nothing
for us to say" was their comment.
1t was the opinion of many of those
who talked base ball in the hote
lobby that the player had not beer
punished more severely than his club
ruth has to make a new contract,
said a manager. HE is in a position
to exact terms to suit himself, but the
American League club is not in a po.
lsition to get a full seasons services
from him. no matter what he may in.