Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

sometimes grouped under the vulgar
nomenclature of ivory" This ivory consists
of ball players.
The system by which a certain valuable piece
Of ivory comes to the big leagues from the
bushes is not unlike the manner Of bringing the
early slaves to this country from darkest Africa.
There were slave hunters in those days; now
there are scouts who year after year roam
through the base ball wilderness of the minors,
trailing prospective major league talent.
New orleans was the scene Of one Of the his
toric old slave markets. This year the base ball
slave auction held at Chattanooga; next
year, Montreal.
These slave markets are an annual affair,
known as minor league meetings, and are at
tended by hundreds of minor league officers,
ball players with varying degrees Of SKILL and
big leaguers with varying amounts Of money.
BY purchase trade is the process by which
a certain piece of well polished ivory from the
bushes comes to the majors. He may be either
drafted, under professional base balls universal
laws, or his contract bought from the club that
owned him. If he is drafted from the lowest OF
the bush teams, he brings $1,000. If he Is
drafted from one of the higher-toned miner
league teams. the draft price is $4,000. Base
ball law calls this process "selection"-a term
reminiscent of another draft that blew through
sklle country back in 1917.
The process is varied sometimes even so COM
plicated that Judge Kenesaw Mountain Lands.
supreme high commissioner of base ball, has TO
60 to some pains to find which slaves are whose
and what about it.
Last year. the Judge, discovering some skull
duggery aimed at beating the law which holds
that major league team can have just SO
many slaves and more, freed quite group
of ivory talent, and the players SO freed sud-
denly found that they were able to sell their
own services. Some sharp bargains resulted
and handsome bonuses were paid the men to
sign on the dotted line and become part of the
system again. One of these men was Rick Fer
reN the ST. Louis Browns catcher, who was
paid $25, 900 just to become slave again.
( tenn is the chain store idea. Base ball
doesn't always pay in the minor leagues. In
fact 1t is nearly always necessary for these
teams to sell at least one player to the majors
at the end of the season to break even. The
big league clubs, accordingly. have bought
number Of minor league teams where the ivory
is farmed out for polishing. Many small clues
that otherwise would collapse, have thus drawn
ON the big league Golfers for their livelihood.
During the major league meetings this year
in New York City, complaints were made about
the way the big fellows were buying up college
stars while they were still in college, deprivlng
1he minors of chance to profit by their de
velopment" and sale. The big leaguers prom
ised to stop the practice.
For the last several years 1t has been an open
secret that many Of the big league clubs had
gone SO far in the quest for ivory that they
were paying the way Of a number OF college
stars through school. After the young man
graduated. he would be signed by the major
league team that paid his way. after which he
would be farmed to the minors for polishing.
Thousands of dollars that the minors might
have realized had the young man started on III
the minors and worked his way up, thus went
gnmmering. The minors want the raw material