The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-05-16
HARRY -s GREYSON
BASEBALL HOLDS IN .. TEREST OF YOUNG AMERICA, SAYS
 SPEAKER

uuuk AmggACe tUb' ing interest in basebailf Speaker, mopping his forehead. rho best aii-around outileIder the sport ever produced supegviged the unloading of q truck load of whis- ke yas ho spoke. He is tn the whole- sole wine and liquor business in the city whore he Demonstrated that ho was an fino q manager aW he was . hitter and ball hawk.
 Why, it was only . year ago in DosMoines that Lee Keygor, who owns tho Wentorn league club there, was asked to recruit c toam of 14-yoar fold boys to moot similar and undofeated aggregatlon from Denver" related Speaker. "keyser sounded his call through 2 baseball writer, and at g o'clock the following morning his park was atormed by more than 1000 younk Hubbels, Coohranes, 0ehrigs, Cornins and Ruths. He had 700 pitcres and catchers and as many infiolders and outhelders. You can imagine what hap- pened. The Denver team didn't AMATEURS OUTDARW MAJORS
 "As many as isB,000 persons have watched an amateur game in thes natural amphitheater ut Brooksido park in Cleveland. Now England college games outdraw the Boston outfits were being buffeted about.
 "rhero perhaps arc more young. stars playing the game than ovor, particularly In the colleges.
 Baseball should bo us fast aB 1t wns 10 years ago, but it isn't.
 "Tho trouble Hos in tho system of developments or, rather, tho
 "Tho collapse of more than half of tho smaller leagues makes it impossible for . majority of the boys to obtain steady employment in baseball, with the result that they turn to something elso.
 twenty years ago ther were 70 minor leagues. There werO 20 class D loops alone, or two moro than all tho classes omblnod last year.
 "Major tongue owners woro Bhort.sighted in allowing 50 many of the smaller fry to fold up. 4 bit of financial help would have saved a number of them, in TO. turn for which tho big follows would not 50 frequently hnva had to write fancy checks for mate- rial,
 "The fact that several minors Are making brave efforts 10 res sumo this spring is n healthy sign. COLLEGE PLAYERS SPOILED
 "In iato years 1t has not been uncommon for an athlete to hop direct from college to q big league than not he is spoiled by being potted and pamperod.
 "Compotltion iB keen, so the young man winds up with 9bOOB bonus for signing and q contract calling for that much more. I've known cases whore well-pnid pea- greonH woro 10 afraid of Hopping and boing loppod from tho payroll that they proforred to wear their brooches shiny on the bench.
 "A young players spirit often is broken when ho Is stuck In thero before ho is ready. But . recruit can't improve his game in the dug- out, and whom ho Ia drawing major regulars pay, minor league salary limits mako farming him out q problom.
 q still believe kid gets most out of coming up as l did. Tho Boston Red Hox bought mo from tho Houston club for s400 and left me at Littio Rock in lieu of ground rent the following spring.
 "But baseball hns softonod up since those days. Players seldom kick up . fuss over a debatable do- cally all
 eision nowadays. Umplrcs have been permitted to crush practically all tho fight out of the game, and now hold q blagoless sport in tho palms of thoir hands.
 "Anothor season or two such us certain major Hague cities exper- ienced in 1033 and tho magnates may realize that the customers turn out to see mpetitIon, not um mpiring,'