The Washington times., 1923-02-06

parties thereto promise to be gel
the strain. Sometimes this is ask
At the. moment, all of them have
sworn to be gentlemen until II
hurts. They will, not, it is affirmed
allow. Eddie Temperamental Roush
to talk himself out of Cincinnati
into Chicago nor will Dutch Reuth
er and Burleigh Grimes be per
nitted to take their salary troubles
from Brooklyn to the Polo Grounds
George Mogridge, it is under
stood also, has signified his willing
ness to talk, business with some
one more susceptible to sorties
againAt the wallet pocket than
Clark Griffith happens to be-
Georges left-handed intentions are
to be discouraged, however.
Roush, of course, is the big
issue. He is a chronic disSenter,
who seems to feel that he must
never forgive baseball for the fact
that he is fated to play ball in
Cincinnati. His idea OF giving
service to Garry Hermann is to
report in midsummer, take sew
eral weeks to get into condition
and finish the season IN the de-
tached, imperSOnal manner OF one
who knows that he is being Inn
posed upon.
He did this last year and then
had the effrontery to demand full
seasons salary, under pain of de-
clining to play ball in 1928. The
fact that the baseball players union
is lending it's sanction to this r1dicu-
lous claim has aroused club owners
to the, point of action, and the
agreement referred to is the result.
The agreement is all Of dozen
years late. 1t should have been III
stituted long since. Had 1t been IN
effect several years ago, Carl Mays
would still be a member OF the Eos
ton Red Sox, Judge Lands Woulc
be sitting on the Federal bench, ana
Ban johnson would be handing
down peculiar decisions as chair
man of the .defunct national COM
mission. This is by no means a
blanket calamity, however, since the
game has prospered under Lands
and johnson was becoming an OBJ
structionist.
The only objection to that deal
was the fact that Mays, a recalci-
trant, benefited where he should
have been penalized. 9ea
1t is baseball's plan now to see
that Roush doesn't do likewise. He
has little or no equity on his side
of the controversy and it is the COM
mon impression that the union has
committed itself to what Is in
elegantly known as a "rube play
in sponsoring his demands. 1t can
only lose caste by Identifying itself
with such an absurd cause.
There is a loud and anguished
euuaWk about to be raised in va
rious sections of the land stimuli
faneOusIy with the receipt OF
1923 contracts by members OF the
New York Yankees. Fully 80 per
cent of our noble champions have
been favored with q cut in salary,
the reductions ranging in magnl.
tude from $500 to a cool and
worthy thousand.
The phHanthropic colonies are
saying it at bargain rates and the
athletes are about as gratified as a
deaf mute with his hands tied. The
...S-Iowing, as we have been given to
understand, are the latest quota
lions of individual prima donnas
in the Yankee cast:
Wally Pipp, first baseman, raised
$500; Aaron Ward, second baseman,
cat 81 900; Everett Scott, shortstop,
slight raise; Joe Dugan, third base
Nnan, raised $500; Wally Schang,
catcher, slight raise; Bob Meusel,
outfielder, cut $500; Lawton Witt,
outfielder, same salary as in 1922;
Elmer Smith, utility outfielder, cut
$500; Mike McNally, utility infielder,
game salary; Fred Hofmann, catcher,
same salary; Waite Hoyt. pitcher cut
$500: Sam Jones, pitcher, same
salary: Bob Shawkey, pitcher. raised
$500; Joe Bush, pitcher, raised $500.
Carl Mays and Babe Ruth have
hold-over- contracts and it is just
as we'll for them that they have.
The Colonels would be in no unseen.
ingly haste to pay Ruth $52 900 a
year If they had it to do over again
and Mays, on his 1922 record, would
be offered about $4,000 less than he
is getting.
The general trend toward re-
trenchment as Videnced i'm these
figures, will be resented by the
hitherto favored Yankees but
just what tangible form their
displeasure will take can only
be assumed. 1t is said by
some baseball men that the
Yankees, being moody, tenn
peramental lot will flock to the
baseball players union i'm the hope
that Ray Cannon and the threat
Of a strike may be able to do
something about it.
None of the Yankees is a mem
Der of the union, probably becaus
Cannon has not solicited Americal
Leaguers for reasons obscure. HaV
ing looked over their contracts
however by this time, it is ir
evitable that volunteers from tn
ranks of the Yankees will b
numerous. Men like Hoyt, War
and Meusel would be just as we
pleased with an epidemic OF blac
cholera as to have someone tampe
with their salaries.
1t may be significant that thi
worthy trio is prominently mel
toned in all reports of the propose
trade with the Chicago White Sol
involving Eddie Collins. 1t may /
that the Colonels are resigned I
their early departure and therefor
care not at all whether they r
ceive $4,000 or 10 cents.