The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-06
'DICKIE KERR JUMPS
TO SEMI-PR0 RANKS;
COULDN'T GET PRICE
By FRANK G. MENKE

"Dickie Kerr has jumped to the
semi-pros" state certain news dis,
patches.
The real truth is that Dickie Kerr
was practically kicked into the semi.
pro ranks by the short sighted, wholly
ungrateful owners of the Chicago
White Sox.
1t ever will be a blot upon the es-
cutcheon of baseball that a pitcher of
Kerr's worth, of Kerr's honesty and of
Kerr's loyalty should have been per.
mitted to quit the ranks over matter
of about $500 a year.
Kerr was one of the best left-handed
pitchers in baseball. If Kerr had been
placed upon the auction block last
winter, the chances are that he would
have brought between $4,000 and
$4,000. Had he belonged to a club
other than the White Sox, and been
offered for sale, it's likely that the
same White Sox, riddled and shatter-
ed as major league club. would have
paid at least $4,000 for him.
Yet those Sox let him loose because
Kerr wanted about $500 more salary
per year than the close listed White
Sox management wanted to pay him.
Can you beat it?
LOOK FoF youngsters.
The Sox today are combing the
bushes for young pitchers OF merit.
They eagerly would buy dozen young
pitchers and pay from $4,000 to $4,000
for each-a total of from $4,000 to
$6O,0O0-if they could be assured that
even one of that group would make
good and become a star.
Yet they had star-a truly great
among the Fingers Of the game-and
let him loose because of a difference
of about $1,000 in aalary ideas.
The passing of Kerr takes from the
Sox the only real pitcher in the whole
team. Red Faber assembled a greater
record last year: Faber may have an
other good year in 1922. But Faber
is old. He may crack and pass out
any time. But Kerr is young. His
future lay before him. The promise
was that he would improve through
the next four or five years because he
has not yet reached his full greatness.
And for the sake Of $500 a shat
tered ball club let go of its only worth
while young Finger
AS long as baseball lasts, Kerr will
be remembered as the most remarkable
inquire of the 1919 world series. The
picture of the little fellow, with the
lion heart, out there on the firing line,
pitching with every ounce of energy in
his body to win a ball game which
eight of his mates already had sold,
ever will be vivid
With whole team of Reds battling
against him, and with Jackson, Weav-
er, Felsch, Gandil and Risberg making
plays designed to lose the game for
him, the midget twirled his way to
triumph; won a ball game which al
ready had been sold to a clique of
gamblers
After the sordid story of that world
series was told, Charlie Comiskey
praised Dickie Kerr, his loyalty and
his honesty, to the highest heavens.
He acknowledge him as a hero; de-
clared that through all his days he
would be ever grateful to the young
ster who refused to sell his baseball
honesty for mess of gamblers pot
tage.
And yet, less than two years after
the crookedness of that series was ex-
posed, this same Comiskey refused to
grant to Kerr salary raise Justly and
honestly earned-and practically fore
ed the pitching satellite to jump to the
semi-pros to continue to earn a fair
wage for his efforts.
Copyright 1921 BY King Features
Syndicate, Incl