Evening star., 1922-12-25

When they left Louisville they had
every reason to believe the reguia-
tionS governing the disposition of the
ball player would operate in 1923 as
they had in the two. previous years.
They expected that certain organiza-
tionS would be exempt from any draft.
including the Pacific Coast. the In
ternational League, the American AS
sociation. the Western League and
the Three Eye League. as they had
been since the leagues in general had
signed up with Commissioner Landis
To be their generaliSsimo.
The Texas League. the Southern As
sociation and the Eastern League felt
so happy and SO elated at the success
which they had enjoyed in the general
prosperity attaching to all that they
were prepared to ask exemption from
the draft. Then someone threw loose
powder into the stove. Perhaps the
fact that more leagues were going
TO ask draft exemption precipita ted
the straight arm from the ma jors to
to the minors.
What the Draft Means
The draft in base ball means that
the big fish may always feed upon
the little fish by paying certain sums
for the privilege. 1t means that the
minor league club cannot retain play
ers wanted by other clubs which are in
classification higher up. If a club
IS subject to draft and has a ball
player who hits like tunket and fields
as if he We're nine ball players in
himself. it is SO to l and a little bet
ter that the club never will have the
player more than one season. Some
bigger club will take him in the draft.
When base ball signed up with the
present commissioner and also sign
ed to behave itself as regards indi-
vidual leagues and clubs it was ex-
pressly stipulated that those leagues
now out of the draft We're out for
seven years, which is the length of
the term of the agreement. Garry
Hermann and Charley EbbetS made
speeches at the dinner of the minors
in Louisville. in which they said the
National League never would be a
party to the violation of any written
agreement which it had signed.
Minors Felt Gratffed.
No particular agreement was men
toned, but everybody knew that they
referred to the seven-year peace
the tables looked up from their cof-
fee cups and said: Now amt they
nice fellows"
At the joint meeting of the major
leagues, which was held ten days
later in New York city, both Of the
big fish in organized base ball passed
resolution, which met with the in
dorsement of the commissioner of
base ball, that they would not send
any ball players by option, gentle
mems agreement or by sale to any
minor league club unless that club
would agree that the player would
be subject to draft.
1t took some time to get the situa-
tion fairly in front of the smaller
leagues. and not all of them are quite
sure about it now
A very prominent minor league man
was asked today to say what the
minors would do. He would not ven
ture. in his capacity as an official, to
intimate what they might do, but
he said there would be no war.
Pact Already Vfolated.
He wanted to know whether the
national agreement had not been vio-
lated by the majors for this reason:
say that they would operate without
the draft. They signed an agreement
to that effect, Other leagues have the
right to Withdraw from the draft |
upon notice. as l understand it. Now
these clubs or leagues or both, for '
they are one in action, tell the minor |
leagues which were allowed to be
that they must accept
the draft if they wish to get certain |
ball players.
Can you say to an organization |
that it is exempt from the draft and
in the same breath say that it cannot
have ball players unless they can
be drafted? l think that the minors
again feel that they have been made |
subservient to the majors and have |
lost a certain amount of independ- |
ence.'
Copyright. 1929