Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-10
Draft Issue Still
Has Baseball Heads
in Unsettled State
Big Minors Won't GiUe in, De-
spite Appeals and Threats
of Majors.
BY HENRY FARRELL.

NEW YORK, Jan. 10-Commissioner
Lands, in coming out strongly for the
draft, takes the stand that it is the only
way to guarantee justice to young ball
player.
All the major league owners are for
the draft. but If they gave the same rea-
son they you'd get nothing but a big
laugh.
Lands no doubt is sincere in his CON
Germ for the young players, but the club
owners want the draft merely to save
money.
The New York Giants this year paid
$4,000 TO the San Francisco club for
First Baseman O'Conneu. If the draft
League, O'Connell would have been avail
able for $4,000.
That's the major club owners desire
for the draft IN a nutshell
There is no doubt that there is some
arguments both for and against the
draft.
GOOD ARGUMENTS
ON BOTH SIDES.
The pro draft partisans point out the
Baltimore club as their best argument
Jack Dunn has four players on his In
ternational League club good enough for
the major leagues, the majors cannot
draft and he will not sell.
Answering the same argument, the
anti-draft party admits the situation but
asks-"Do those players want to go to
the major leagues Z"
Thomas J. Hickey, president of the
American Association, which recently
voted against the draft again, maintains
that the association viii not keep q play
er who wants to go up and on the other
hand his eight clubs do not want to lose
player by force who is contented to
stay where he is.
Jack Hendricks, manager of the In
dianapOis Club, and Clarence Rowland,
pilot of the Columbus Club, maintain
that the majority of the players in the
Association do not want to leave.
They point out that any number Of
players in the league can make more
money by playing every day in the As
ISOLATION where the going is not so hard
and the strain less severe than they
could earn as a bench warmer in the
major leagues. Many Of the players
have been up before and they do not
want to 60 back.
Another concrete argument was cited
as occurring several years ago when
Louisville brought Bert Niehoff in mid
season. At the end Of the season he
was drafted for $500 less than the
Louisville Club had paid for him.
PLAYERS REMAIN
QUIET ON QUESTION.
1t would be interesting to learn how
the players figure about the draft. Bent
ley, Lawry, Jacobson and the other
Baltimore stars have never openly eX-
pressed their desire to go up aud IA view
of this. 1t might be taken that they are
When Commissioner lands decided 70
appeal personally to the five leagues
fighting the draft to come back under the
old agreement it was thought that the
point of the major leaguers would be
won. But the American Association
voted against 1t and with the lead being
taken, it IS a cinch that the Interna-
tionaI League and the Pacific Coast
League win not desert the cause.
The draft thing is yet to be solved.
Neither side will give an inch. The min
Ors might have been placated II the
"spendthrift' owner Of the Brooklyn
Robins, Charles Ebbets. had not recon-
mended a boycott Of the Class "A leagues
at the National League meetings.
OF course, his move was 0verruled, but
the minors didn't like the indication Of
such sentiment.