The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-05
MAJORSEheER
TO BUY;W0N'T
PAY TOO MUCH

BY JOHN B. FOSTER

By JOHN B. POSTER
Copyright, 1922, by The Argus.)
Louisville, KY, Dec. 5.-"We1l
buy ball players. but they gotta be
good, and we won't give u last
darn cent"
This is the burden Of the soiig
the representatives Of the major
league clubs r singing today at
the Louisville minor league meet
ing. They are singing it to the
tune Of I'VE won't go home until
morning." and they don't, but it is
the search for ball players and not
for bourbon that keeps them up.
The minor leaguers listened with
receptive ears and then raised their
prices two bits a player after the
serenade and passed by and left
them intact
Ed Barron said today the New
York American league club would
probably put the finishing touches
on the transfer OF jake May &c
their team. jake once pitched for
Branch Hickey. He did we'll some
days while on others he dreamed
there were three home plates and
tried to pitch to all three of them,
"Too Wild" said Branch and sem
him to Vernon, Cal. where Jake
Immediately went entirely wild and
won Is games or something like
that. What a live wire he would
have been to the st. Louis club in
1922 if Branch had chung to his
slender shanks.
The Giants "reckoped as how
they might buy, sell or exchange"
Just how, when or where they are
not quite ready to state. George
Grant of the Boston Nationals en-
phatically stated he would take any
good ball player that he could fin1
and Mike Cantillon, who overheard,
snorted and fell out of his chair.
Good ball player" he choked in
derfsion. Mike maintains there are
none such on sale.
Walter Hapgood of Rochester ad-
mitted his club would buy players
when the major league clubs gait
asking S $4,000 piece for them. I'VE
thought it was the other way
round" chirped a major Lacquer,
who had been pricing minor league
ivory.
The ivory hunt is KEEN" declar-
ed William Mccarthy, president OF
the Pacific Coast league land the
price has not receded in California.
You cannot lure US into a draft
proposition when we a grow
them, polish them, slick them uo
and put them out east at such pal
try sums as 500, 900 each. Do these
gentlemen think We are philaa-
thropists? When did they get into
baseball for their health"
Otto Borchert, owner of the Mil
waukee club, who throws a wide
and wicked curve in the American
association, nearly talked George
Grant into buying a player instead
OF selling some to Milwaukee, blu:
Grant came to in time to realize
that he had about 81 on his hands
he wanted to get rid OF.
julius Heineman of New Orleans
came to Louisville to get some
players to win a championship for
his city next summer. I'VE have
got the Yanks to train on on!
grounds and all we need now is to
win a pennant. Any Of you fell
lows got any players to lend?"
=. Looks as il Pittsburgh and Gin
cinnati may hit up a trade. Pitt >
burgh needs a second baseman and
might take Bohne, who will need a
job if Pat Moran's announced pro-
gram is carried out. CINCINNATI
needs a pitcher and Glasner would
be just the boy for Cincinnati.
We've got a pitcher on our
team who is the best in the world"
said Putnam OF San Francisco.
And no one has guessed it. He
would bring about $50, 900 or
more" The big leaguers thereupon
asserted that San Francisco want
ed them to buy the team again, biz
admitted that San Francisco might
sell at that.
Everybody got damned up over
the conflict of major league mee.-
ings. THE nerve Of Johnson"
said one minor Lacquer, calling
the American league meeting for
Chicago when Lands called 1t for
New York"
The fact that Commissioner Lam
dis has not the slightest thing to
say about calling the American
league meeting seemed to have es-
capped attention. The commission
er has nothing to do but prepare
the address to the minors. They
a trade ball players, but they
can't trade commissioners. They
don't even have to ask waivers or
commissioners.
Commissioner lands will hold
his joint meeting Dec. II, irrespe ;.
tive OF any other meeting. He has
advertised 1t. has, received accept.
nee and will 60 ahead. If any
owner should be unable to attend
the party, that Is the owners look
out and the commissioner declines