Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-08
MINORS SALVATION.
is TRAINING OF KIDS.
Double AS Lack of Cash
Held Likely to Bring About
Peace, However.

~ HICAGO, August 8-If the
major leagues and three Glass
Y IA minors fail to reach an
agreement on the question of
the universal dra<A before the December
! deadline and each faction elects to
travel its own road, young base ball
players stand to benefit from the
warfare.
If the majors remain adamant in
their stand to have no dealings with
the Glass AA leagues, the law of supply
and demand will almost cease to exist
for the three minors They can secure
no players from the big leagues and
there will be no market for their
brightest stars. Not even clubs with
major league ownership can have any
dealings with the big timers.
To secure players the minors will be
forced to bid against the majors in the
open market for men from leagues OF
lower claSSification-Which their bank
rolls will not stand-grab the few free
agents from the big show or else develop
their own youngsters. And development
of young players seems TO, be the most
logical move by the warning minors.
Many base ball men believe a swing
toward younger players is the salvation
of the larger minor leagues: more so
than night games. 1t is pointed out
that for several years the class IA
leagues have gone in too heavily in the
employment Of former major stars.
That was done at a tremendous ex-
pense and lowering of the quality of
ball played in the American ASSocia-
ton, International and Pacific Coast
Leagues. Fans were not interested in
the performances of players whose fu-
ture was behind them and attendance
fell of. With preponderance of vet
Grams on almost every club the AA
owners had nothing to sell, so their
purses took a kick from both sides.
The influx Of many youngsters with
little or no experience might, for a
time, still further lower the quality of
play in the AA leagues, but once all
clubs had reached the same parity the
fans interest would revive in the per-
formances of the kids The ultimate
result would be financial saving for
the AA owners and when peace was
obtained many good players would be
ready for marketing in the majors.
Such a warfare would work hard
ship on major league players at the
end of their tether in the big tent.
With class IA employment denied
them unless they were 10-year men or
given their free agency, such players
obviously WOuiQ OTOp uOWIl 10 CLASS "A
instead of AA. where they would be
forced to take greater salary cut.
But "c'est la guerre."
It is regarded doubtful if an open
warfare between the majors and class
IA leaguers ever will occur. Minor
league base ball is in too unsound a
suits to join with the double AAs in their
condition for many of the smaller cir
defiance of the majors. They have be-
come too dependent upon the big
leagues for support to antagonize them
and realize they could not expect the
same amount of aid from the AA Or
CARNATIONS. Alignment of the entire
National Association against the ma
tors would mean the reconstruction of
the entire fabric of professional base
ball. And that will not occur
When it comes to a vote within the
three AA leagues. the verdict of the
fChicago meeting, where their repre-
Isen:atives threw down the gauge to
the majors, may be different Four
American Association teams either are
owned outright by or have close af-
flliations with major league clubs;
three in the International and three
In the Pacific Coast League are in the
same situation. So it is likely some
peaceable adjustment will be made be-
fore the start of another season.