, 1923-02-25
union
HAS DIFFICULTY
PICKING LEADER
Nominees Prefer to Hide
in Rank and File.
BY I. E. SANBoRR.

One Of the things in which the new
lnlon of professional baseball players
intends to lake a hsnd-if It ever starts
functioninE is the problem typined
by the recent demand OF Rube Bentley
for a share Of the unearned .nc.e
ment obtained by the Baltimore clut
through the salo of his services to tn,
New York Nationals.
Al present the latest organization o.
players seems to have encountered AZ,
Unexpected hurdle in its inability 70 oh
tain a full quota of officers. The cam
1aign for membership seemed to OF
successful enough. as far as Il went.
out when II came to completing the or
sanitation. all the nominees for pres
dent, etc, showed a disposition to pre-
fer the comparative obAcurity Of thu
rank and hle. So far as bos6inS tht
union is concerned they are psrfectly
willing to leave IL TO Smith"
The Milwaukee organizer OF the new
union apparently wants to pront b,
the mistake OF the last previous play
ars' organization, which chose as It,
head a retired player engaged In tn
practice Of law, and to launch the new
ship under the ostensible command 0
players still prominent in the game
Doubtless he viii eventually succee
sven IL no better executive can b
tempted TO try It than Jack F~ournier
who is the only individual original:
mentioned who did not step on tn
gas to get out OF the unwelcome line
light.
objects Of the Union.
But we started TO say that one Of tn,
objects Of the union is 10 handle thes'
frequently recurring disputes between
player and club owner over the puT
chase price, a matter that Is not GOV
cred by any Of the agreements between
club owners or leagues.
II any reader has not heard OF tn
Bentley case " II may be stated tina
when that player "a in the paper
hat the Giants had paid Jack Dunn
he Baltimore syndlcalist, $4,000 10
his release he conceived the motor
hat, II he really were worth tia
price. he ought TO get a piece OF tn.
money because 1t was due TO Bentley
own ability or efforts and not to Dunn
that he had attained that marke
value. As a means OF enforcing III
demand Bentley refused to sign a con
tract with the Giants, apparently uu
der the impression McGraw or SOM
body could force Dunn to separate hin
self from some OF the coin involved l.
the transaction,
The fans naturally are with BERTHE,
and can't see any logical reason whs
the player should not ret at least hal
- Nha eEE mn TO ~. nayr t,,iaa ,-,r
in shape to take up Bentley's case ID
public soon would find out why ;hs
player has no chance to get a tfty-nf.'
split OF SEQ. 900.
That is the press agent price SUI
posed to have been paid for Bentle,
out II the union pressed the case to o
issue It would squeeze q wonderful pc
ceRtago OF water" out OF those a.
ures. That's the real reason why hl
playerc always have had so much dir
Guilty In getting a share OF the mono
alleged to have been paid for them.i
such deals,
Purchase Price p. A. STUFF.
Even IL tho club owners were willin
to be fair and give the players halt Z
she coin involved they would have
make known the actual terms Of thei
transactions which would rudrly undt
ceive tho fans who had swallowed tn
published figures with great relisl
The club owners don't want the ectua
terms OF sales made known bscaus
they would look 80 blamed small b.
comparison with the inflated scale e
which pross agents have carried tn
business. The usual way OF estimR
ting the terms Of a trade nowaaayl
10 TO take the probable sum OF money
Involved. compute IL In German marks
then Isl those figures with the dolla
sign in frcnt CT them. which is somt
thing decidedly else again.
Nobody, for instance. believes Co
miskey paid 500. 900 for Kamm. !
"a who raised the salary Of his no
hit. no run star pitcher, Robertson. 6
mere sl00 doesn't separate Aimsel
from 1000 times as many dollars for 5
prospect who has not yet made good H.
fast company. When the deal fol
Kamm was made the propaGandisti
had to beat the alleged $751; 900 paid To-
o'connell. SO they did. that's all. Tn
next star sold by the Coast leagu
probably will cost sl25. OOo-soyie
money.