Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-13
BUSH LEAGUE
SCHOOL OPENS
ON WESTC0AST
Veterans of Diamond Will
Teach Youngsters Fine
Points of Game.

Burbank, Calf, Dec. 1o.-With the
object of making professionals OF
amateurs. the National College of base
ball has been started here by veteran
PLAYERS from the various leagues.
Youngsters will be. taken from the
minors and semi-pro outfits and
polished into something resembling a
finishd ball player. The advent of
the Finishing school, for ball players
is distinctly novel and the Burbank in
stitution is the first of it's kind IL the
nation.
Officers of the college are: Frank
Chance, president: Jesse W. Orndorff,
vice president; Robert W. Colbnrn,
secretary treasurer and Harry A Will
liams has been appointed as publicity
agent.
Hardened diamond experts with e1-
perience in every position will appear
on the field as deans of the various
department. The theory of the game
will be taught in the class rooms and
fhe practical side on a we'll kept up
athletic field. =,
The object of the instruction and
tl,e ideals of the managers is stated
as follows:
, Unusual Opportunity
The National College of Baseball is
designed to do Just as other special
schools do, which prepare young men
for a definite trade or profession.
There are law and dental schools.
medical. surgical and o~steopathic col
Ieges, technical schools, schools OF
manual arts, electrical schools, auto
mobile schools. In fact, practically
every trade and profession except base
ball has had its institutions where the
Young man could prepare himself.
Yet none OF the trades, and few
professions. command such salaries for
an entire year as baseball does for six
months. This is an amazing situation,
and one which the founders of the
National College of Baseball hope to
remedy.
Few bank presidents, and fewer
lawyers and doctors. command such
salaries as are received by John j. Nc
Graw. Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. True,
these men are exceptions, but players
who are hardly rated as stars of the
first magnitude in the majors. draw
salaries of $4,000 and $1,000.
Salaries of $4,000 or $4,000 are
not regarded as extraordinary, while
! Ruth triples that amount. Even the
youngster just breaking III frequently
receives a contract calling for $500 a
month or more, while salaries of $4,000
and $4,000 a season are not unknown
in the larger minor leagues.
Yet I'D to the present time players
have faced the amazing situation OF
baseball being wholly without a school
! or college in which the young player
| could engage in q course of prepare
| ton with a view of a~vailing himself of
these opportunities.
Had there been such an institution
the percentage of success might have
| been greater, with fewer retiring TO
{ the shop or farm through discourage
ment as the result OF repeated trials,
rebuffs and failures.
Spring Camps
Usually. the spring training camps
are overloaded with young players,
more than any manager can hope TO
try out thoroughly even with the help
! of a corps of assistants. Some of these
players hardly get the once over.
Frequently they are released outright
or shipped TO some obscure league
without anything like a real trial.
In short, q player without reputa-
ton must show extraordinary natural
ability TO attract the attention of q
manager OF CoHCh al spring tEaIAiAs.
And even though he may have unusual
! talent as a player. ignorance OF the
r,,diment of inside baseball may cause
him to be discarded and forgotten.
The national college of baseball does
not profess TO perform miracles. The
applicant must have some natural
ability. But its corps of instructors
by familiarizing the students with in
side baseball. teaching him the fine and
essential points of the game, improy-
ing his techical skill and building him
up physically, feel that they can ma
t~erially enhance his chances of sue
cess, with the added possibility of dis
covering and developing some real
stars.
Here the player will receive that IN
dividual instruction which he seldom