Evening star., 1940-03-12
From the
PRESS Box
$4,000 He Didn't Get
Is Trout's Big Woe

@T,UUU ne Olon I 1et
Is Trout's Big Woe
BY JOHN LARDNER.
Special Correspondent of The Star.
CLEARWATER, Fla, March IL
N.AN.A).-The convict who knocks
out guard, scales the wall, and
jumps aboard the escape car, only
to have a fiat tire and be hauled
back to his dungeon cell, is a mel
ancholy character indeed. But no
more so than Mr.. Paul Trout of
Sandcut, Ind.
Mr.. Trout is the only man in the
world who did not sell himself to
the Philadelphia Athletics for $45,-
900 this winter. At least, that's the
way it seems to MIR. Trout, and if he
eXaggerates somewhat, you will have
to forgive him. Trout has suffered
Every time Benny Mccoy or Ray
Cullenbine or some other happy
fugitive from the Detroit chain
gang sold himself for a handsome
personal profit in the last couple of
months, Mr.. Trout WINGED and
rolled over on his bed of pain.
Mr.. Trout, called Dizzy" by his
respectful colleagues, almost made
the break himself, along with the
McCoys and the Cullenbines. He
had one leg over the wall and was
gulping in the air of freedom when
the warden grabbed him by the scat
Of the plants and hauled him back.
Might Have Set Record
for Salesmonship
Specifically, he was one of the
host of Detroit owned ballplayers
set free some time ago by Judge
Kenesaw Mountain Lands, the
great manumitter, because of CON-
tract skullduggery on the part of the
Tiger management.
"You are free" said the judge to
Mr.. Trout.
Fine" said Trout. leaping in the
air and kicking his heels together.
" d1G ullllQUS, Sdio lllC Jo0SC.
Maybe I'm wrong. I thought your
contract with Detroit was illegal,
but now that look again, it seems
to be legal. All, yes, very legal in
deed. Everything in perfect order.
All shipshape Trout. old man, 1
regret to say that you are not free
at all. You still belong to Detroit"
Nuts" said Mr.. Trout, or words to
that effect.
Mr.. Trout's anguish at being a
free agent one minute and humble
slave the next was entirely justified.
Back with Detroit, he can collect
only his normal salary of about So
800 per annum. AS free agent, he
self-salesmanship. Look at Mccoy.
$4,000 Absolute Minimum
Trout VoIued Himself
Look at Mccoy" says Mr. Trout,
still brooding on the monstrous
injustice of things in general. IF
Mccoy can peddle himself to Phila-
delphia for $4,000 what do you
think I would of fetched in the
open market?"
"Well, what?" you ask of this
grieving Hoosier.
IT am a modest man." says Mr..
Trout, who is not a modest man
at all, land I don't like to hurt
snybody's feelings, but if Mccoy
got $45,000 just for signing ought
to Of fetched-well, call it 100000.
That's the absolute minimum. Call
1t $4,000 and nobody can accuse
me of boasting."
Whether anybody can accuse Mr..
Trout of boasting, you have to admit
this: His record in big league base
ball Is more impressive than Benja-
min (s45,00O) McCoy's. A right
handed pitcher by trade-though
slightly left-handed by tempera-
ment-Dizzy Trout seemed last year
to be on his way to becoming one
of the American Leagues real good
hurlers. He was fast, he had con-
troll and he won some important
games, including pip against the
Yankees which broke Yankee win
ming streak.
Detroit Need Not Worry.
PouI DecIores
There being nothing wrong with
his arm, he would seem in the nor
NAL course of events to be headed
for an even better year in 1910. But
that depends. Mr.. Trout still is
pretty bitter over Judge Lands
Indian gift" of few months ago
and bitter pitcher cannot always
do justice to his natural gifts.
II think he'll get over it, all right"
says Manager Del Baker of the
Tigers. After all, how does he
know what would of happened if
he'd been a free agent? This club
always has treated him right. Well
give him plenty of work and op-
portunity and this club is improve
ing, which will mean more money
for Trout. He's prob'ly lucky things
broke the way they did, though,
of course, when you see bonus
check staring you in the face, I
suppose you get excited. Trout still
is little bit sad"
Dbl right I'm sad" says Mr..
Trout, aside. I'll 60 on pitchin'
for the Detroit club like nothing
happened, but who wouldn't rather
be pitchin' with 100000 in the bank
behind him?"
do you think it will hurt your
work?"
Listen" says Mr.. Trout. conf
dentially. "Ill tell you the truth.
I couldn't pitch bad ball if I wanted
to. So Detroit's got nothing to
worry about"
Il guess that clears up Mr.. Bakers