Evening star., 1946-06-09
Will Strikes Menace
Professional Baseball?
Players May Have Grievances
Also Have Advantages
By Denman Thompson
Sports Editor,

They Also Have Advantages
By Denman Thompson
Sports Editor.
In this era of strikes and threats of
strikes the general public probably will
take in stride the temporary ruckus
in Pittsburgh, where union minded
players demand collective bargaining
privileges from an apparently adamant
ownership.
But this row is indicative of a condi-
tion that easily may spread beyond
Pittsburgh and involved is question
very close to the heart of the average
American-his recreation.
He can confine himself merely to
grumbling about the scarcity of white
shirts for himself and nylons for the
little woman, rationing, brownouts and
general imitation, reserving raucous
squawks for lack of fuel and transpor-
tation, but if his day-of activities are
threatened he can be expected to make
himself heard in no uncertain terms.
And that Is just what the present
situation can develop into should the
impasse not be amicably resolved, as
its potententialities encompass a snow
balling process that conceivably could
destroy organized baseball in its en-
tirety, no less.
1t probably was inevitable that the
diamond sport, heretofore considered
immune from labor quarrels, would be-
come embroiled, and If what as yet is
minor crisis is to be prevented from
becoming catastrophe in proportions
it behooves all concerned to get together
and work out a solution.
AS to the merits of all the issues in
volved we are not prepared to pass
judgment, for it has ramifications that
transcend ordinary disagreements be-
tween worker and employer, but in the
current dispute it would seem there is
much to be said on the side of the
players.
What they are demanding is that the
bargaining election as result of which
it is assumed that contractual relations
between the players and the club hence
forth would be handled by the newly
formed Baseball Guild rather than by
the individuals themselves, as is the
present practice.
Just what additional reforms are en-
visaged by the guild have not as yet been
revealed by the Harvard-educated
Robert Murphy, self-appointed spokes-
man for the athletes, but one of the
initial steps undoubtedly would be the
establishment of minimum big league
salary. That seems reasonable enough.
Another concession due the players, it
would appear, is the setting of definite
percentage of the purchase price they
are to receive in the event of being
sold" But the crux of the whole matter
is the woefully weak and one-sided re-
serve clause, for unfair as it patiently is
to the player, it has been termed-and
with apparent logic-the cornerstone of
the game, the elimination of which
might result in its disintegration.
Under this clause once youngster
enters organized baseball he becomes
the outright property Of the club which
signs him, must play where Ne is as
signed and for whatever wage his owners
wish to give him.
Should he balk, demanding higher
pay, or service with team more to his
liking, he can be suspended, whereupon
he automatically becomes ineligible to
perform with any othe~ ''tfit SUBJ
scribing to the code
Furthermore, the standard contract
used in organized baseball contains
Today notice. clause from
which the player has no recourse. His
only alternative is to quit the game and
seek his livelihood in some other form
of endeavor.
1t repeatedly has been said of the
reserve clause and freely admitted by
the players themselves that it is "in-
equitable but necessary" for the preser-
vation of the game.
In other words they consent to submit
to serfdom to protect their own calling,
for it is obvious that if players were free
to accept the highest bids for their
services the mere handful of wealthy
club owners would grab all of the stars
and the weakly financed clubs would
be compelled to support teams unable to
afford them real competition. The result
would be that fan-interest would wane
to the point where it no longer would be
profitable to stage pennant races.
Equal Justice Under Law" the ad
mirable phrase chiseled in enduring
marble over the entrance to the United
States Supreme Court Building pur-
ports to guarantee the prerogative
of any one to toll when, where
and for whom he pleases, or not at all,
if he so elects. But there is no gain
saying the fact that the words thus
far have proved something of mockery
under the form of peonage imposed
upon ball players.
What to do about this anomalous
situation has been constantly recurring
question since baseball first was sys-
tematized. But up to now the solution
has escaped all who have attempted
to find it, and to this end many learned
men have devoted their time and
talents.
So well-recognized has been this
enigma that all through the years dis
putants on both sides of the fence in
controversial baseball matters have been
chary about going to court with any