Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-28
THE BASEBALL
BEAT
Starting With Nothing
BY BURTON HAWKINS


nation of third major league and the throwing of the
first ball which will inaugurate the Continental League,
without attempting dampen anybodyS initial enthuS-
aSm, may be farther apart than Castro and Batisa.
"I like their chances if they can survive five years."
said Parke Carroll general manager of the Athletics
served many years in the minors official and knows
the games problems from the IF they can go that
far they'll have something But in the meantime they'll
have problems.
81 don't know what the Seup will be in regard to the
players pension fund.- Carroll continued Right now each
major league club contributes $135000 year to the
fund The players have the astar games and the radio
and tevSon rights from the World Series going for them
Nov, it's uncomfortable that the clubs simply will
put up $135OO and declare their players the fund That
fund has been going for years. and there millions in
the kitty. The Continental League will have to match
those benefits.
IF THE NEW LEAGUE can't produce the same bene-
fits for players, they can't compete There will be no
exchange of players between leagues because player oper
ang under the pension system wouldn't go to league
without it.
1.-THE Continental League won't be able to acquire
youngsters without pension fund because it's Just
mon sense that boy going to be sensible about his
future than to turn down pension II you tried to send
boy from the minors to the Continental assuming the
Continental lacked pension fund, he wouldn't go.
But let's say the pension thing ironed out There
are other problems Getting executives isn't one of
them There real sharp officials in the Minors and I'm
can Association and the International League thought
we did lot of things better than they did in the majors
obtaining players will be the key problem and that's
something know about. Remember, when we got the
Philadelphia franchise for City had players
supposedly of major league caber The Continental will
be starting with nothing.
I'VE WENT OUT AND BOUGHT the top players from
every league in the country We paid $4,000 Rance
PeSs, leading hitter in the American Association We paid
Kretlo and Ioe( 1inSh
Tom LaSorda from Montreal and Jack Crmian and Eddie
Blake from Toronto for bundle paid San Francisco
100000 for Mike BaXes Bill Bradford and Melton
From other major league clubs picked up Tom
German, Ewe Blackwell and Dick KryhoSk paying more
than should in each case but necessary We had
to keep faith with fans, make effort and get
players could trade later.
These weren't players could deal to another major
league team but you talked to major league club about
trade they'd ask Who have you got that send
Richmond? Have you got lefthander we can use
at Duluth|
'These fellows we picked up merely were sweeteners
for deals but didn't have chance of making trades
later unless could up with players who could help
fill out farm systems
you see the kind of players got for hundreds of
thousands Of dollars We got them in 1855 How many of
them around now?
1.-The point u.s. it's impossible go out and buy respec-
table ball players. We grabbed everybody in sight with
minor league reputation and got nothing Teams in the
league will be forced to build from the bottom signing
their youngsters Then they have to hang for at
least five years, hoping for some Klebrews and AsonS
to develop"
PRESUMABLY THERE ARE THREE weak links in the
Continental League Those would be the three cities who
didn't elect to up with $4,000 Five cities don't make
league and the fact that groups in other cities didn't
produce that comparatively insignificant to be depos
ed IN the new leagues treasury would indicate they'd like
10 nave more questions answered.
This will be baseball of the highest quality" said
IF Wao Neu Vorlr
baseball committee This league will be entitled to be
helped IN view of its contribution to baseball"
lhlS may develop to be true, but where Shea will
acquire the players to produce high-quaty baseball
remains unanswered And if the gentleman expects help
from present major league owners he may be dreaming
nave been noted in the past only for tossing bricks
at drowning men.
II sounds great, third major league There's ervent
nope here that it becomes reality so other cities will
cease trying to the Senators from Washington But Mr.
Shea left variety of intriguing questions unanswered
yesterday.