The New York herald., 1922-02-17
Declares Club Has Been Rea-
sonablc and Has Gone as
Far us 1t Will.
ME TOO,' ECHOES HUSTON
Squire Ebbets Views HoldOut
Situation With Mingled
Anger and Sorrow.
by w. o. McGEEHAN.

Col. JACOB RUPERT. president or the
Yankee baseball team, issued his ulti-
mate ultimatum, the final, five star,
complete, in regard to the Yankee
holdouts yesterday. Col. Rupert,
S1ded and abetted by his partner. Col
nllinghast L'Hommedieu Huston, has
Q0sued many ultimatums, especially
during the late unpleasantness in the
czarship of Ban Johnson, but the ulti-
matum in regard to the holdouts goes
as it lays-anyhow 1t goes for the
present.
1--WE have one of the largest salary
rolls In baseball" said Col Jacob. 1--WE
have cut nobody We have made many
increases. We have been reasonable
and have gone as far as we will.
am very firm about this"
me too.' said Col. Tillinghast
LHommedieu Huston.
oh yes. I know" said Col. Jacob.
chat we said that we would be very
firm about this time last year. Maybe
we weren't quite as firm at the finish
as we were at the start. But you can
say that 1 am very much flrmer this
year"
me too," said Col Tillnghast
L'Hommedeu Huston.
II understand that Babe Ruth II
going to be very reasonable. So we
can't be too firm with him. think
that we may be less firm with the
Babe than with some of the others.
] personally think that we ought not
to be too firm with the Babe"
Me too said Col. Tillinghast
L'Hommedieu Huston.
But with the others we will be very
firm or anyhow we i'll be as firm as
possible under the circumstances. You
can say that I never felt firmer In my
life at this time Of the year"
ME too said Col. Tillinghast
L'Hommedeu Huston. The two colonels
then proceeded to register adamantine
frmness. 1t was a very impressive
sight.
Yanks Not Yet Signed.
The Yankees who have not actually
signed to date are Hoyt Fewster.
Schang, Ruth, Bush, Mays, Jones,
Ward. Harper. Meusel and Miller. This
does not mean that all of these players
are actual holdouts, but their contracts
have not yet bobbed up.
The Yankee owners will not take the
step adopted by some teams of barring
holdouts from the training camp. They
VIII permit them to report for the
spring workout and then reason with
them-with frmness of course. Yes,
indeed, with great frmness.
There was much relief around the
Yankee office when It was announced
that Phil Schenck, the Yankee ground
keeper, was not holding out and that
he had no intention of holding out
Phil will travel to New Orleans by
boat and manicure the local park be-
fore the Yankee squad reports. The
Yankees also announced that the ex-
hibition game scheduled for Waco. Tex,
on March 81 had been abandoned. No
body broke into any violent sobs over
this.
Over at the Giant offices Charles A.
Stoneham. president OF the New York
National League, also registered firm
ness In regard to the holdout. The
Giants have seven young and ambitious
men who insist that the ante be raised.
"Oil' Smith and Bancroft are among
them.
But In spite of his firnness Mr.
Stoneham will permit the recalcitrant
ones to report at San Antonio. There
It is believed that John J. McGraw will
use moral or physical persuasion or
both and straighten out the differences
between master ana men WIN 1ew
well chosen words or a carefully Sc
lected bat. Mr.. McGraw has earned
an enviable position in the world OF
catch-as-catch-can diplomacy.
Pet Theory of Ebbets.
Charles Ebbets, the good old Squire
OF F1atbush, views the holdout situation
both with anger and with sorrow. 1t
has been a pet theory OF the Squire
that the national game is becoming
decadent because the modern baseball
player being highly paid INDUCES in
rich foods and luxuries that soften his
physical and moral fiber. Tho Squire
thinks that It would be well for the
game II the other owners would return
to the Spartan simplicity OF table and
payroll maintained by two pennant win
ming Brooklyn teams.
All Of this sounds rather luglbrious
but when the springtime comes gentle
Annie and all that sort thinks there will
not be many ball payers off the payroll.
There never are. Perhaps one of these
springs the players and the owners may
become unanimously firm, but not this
spring The chances are that the call of
the game will weaken all Of the holdouts
with the first thaw. Even the habitual
holdouts rarely miss the first check.