Evening star., 1960-12-20
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ), FRANCE, ,1App
As 1t Wus in the Old Days

FIRST OF ALL, nobody in his right mind considered
all of those Sc expendabes sold to Washington and Los
Angeles $4,000 balpayers Not the American League
nor the eight selling clubs the two buying outfits
The formal of awarding the franchises was tax
gimmick $2l million franchise does not deprecate but
so-called $4,000 ballpayers do. .
But in another time they probably would have been
called "$75OOO Beauties, unless they Topped Then the
failures would be $4,000 lemons That's the that
players who cost money bore in the days when dollar
buck and schooboy phenom wasn't given 100 grand
when the old man signed a contract for him. -
>. To show how it was. John McGraw bought pitcher
in 1908. Rube Marquard. and the 900 he gave the
Indianapolis club the highest paid for
minor Lacquer to that time. Overnight he became the
"$11 900 beauty"
Rube dud inside of two years-in 19O9-1O, he
the "$11 900 lemon The wordartsts of those times
quicker classify him than to get his name straight
Actually, his name was Richard LeMarquis On one
cason sports writer was in such hurry that he wrote
it down Marquard. "Rube" borrowed from Waddell
whose fast ball Marquards resembled.
.f-#-.
THERE WAS HAPPY ending for Marquard and the
free-Spending Giants because McGraws COACH Will
bert Robinson of the old Orioles worked and
1911 he blosSomed into bonafide "$11, 900 beauty"
Back in the days of Connie MackS first great pennan
winning teams fans referred to the Philadelphia Athletics
great combination OF Stuy Mc1nntS, Eddie Collins Jack
Barry and Home Run Baker the 100000 neld" Most
of them used the term loosely If four balplayers
possibly could be worth 100000 But they for Collins
Barry and Baker played in four World Series for the As
and McInnis in three.
When Pete Quesada and his associates bought those
% players last week in Boston they in
chasing the % most expensive players in the history Of
Washington. The late Clark Grinth never spent more
than $6500O for player in all the years he operated
That Joe Kuhel, who proved to be worth
every cent Of the outlay.
Ee WHEN CLARK GRIFFITH began to sense pennant
in July of 1924 he sent Joe Engel his lone scout to look
for W hat he had
found two who could do the job One Billy zitzmann
of the Newark club the other Earl McNeely of Sacra
mento. Es
80 Each club wants $65 OOO," Joe lamented.
~ Griffith rolled his eyes at such outrageous figure
Nonetheess he took train to Buffalo to watch Zitzmann
play for Newark He unimpreSsed.
I'll take a chance on McNeelyp Grf told Engel. II
haven't got time to to the coast to him we'll do
it by phone"
.,. "At $65,OOO?" Engel said, aghast -
If it the pennant" the Old Fox replied But
charactersay, he shaved the price Washington landed
McNeey for $4,000 cash. plus three forgotten players
plus the loan of Wild Matthews to Sacramento for the rest
Of the season. ..-.
And McNeey helped win the pennant and the sena-
tors only world championship
KUHEI. WAS PURCHASED from Kansas City at a
time when Joe Judge growing old gracefully Enge
secuted Kuhel too, and turned in glowing report But
because money tight in 1880, especially Grifs the
ivory-hunter hesitant.
Buy him." commanded Griffith, "and pray that you
know balplayer when one" This time there
no whiting on the price, which ss5yOOO cash.
Actually the second most expensive purchase by
Griffith the long unremembered shortstop, Jimmy
Pofah whom the Senators bought from Minneapolis for
$4,000. Neither Grif Bucky Harris, who man
aging in 1910, could believe their eyes when they saw
Pofahl throw in spring training.
" The poor guy threw like girl His throws were lazy
looping things that might nail like Moe Berg
and Birdie Tebbetts but not many Others Turned out
Jimmy couldn't hit or field much either
GRIFFITH ONCE GAVE some thought to spending
$4,000 for player In the winter of 1924 lacking the
third outheder team up with Goose Gosln and Sam
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