The day book. [volume], February 13, 1914, NOON EDITION, Image 28

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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injustices of the reserve clause, de
claring it made slaves of the athletes
and threatening to go into court and
fight it to" the last ditch.
Then, early in January, he-was re
ceived in Cincinnati by" the National
Commission. As a result of that meet
ing Fultz announced that the players
had been given great concessions by
the magnates. What they were are
not easily apparent. About the only
benefit was to the men who spent ten
years in the major leagues, and those
birds are mighty few..
The reserve tlause wds not altered.
It is still the. same law.. Then it was
enslaving, from the Fultz standpoint.
Now it must be respected, or he will
drop players from his fraternity.
After that Cincinnati meeting there
was a banquet, as usualj "at which
Ban Johnson roasted Fultz to a turn.
At that time the players' president
seemed to have grounds for his com
plaint, and his present attitude, there-t
fore, is hard to understand.
Joe Tinker, after hearing of Fultz's
action, called him a quitter, and said
he had "passed up a chance to be a
man." Joe explained that the Frater
nity was organized to benefit the
players. Now, he said, it was seeking
to punish the men who had jumped
to the Feds, though such athletes had
been greatly benefited.
Whether the members of the Fra
ternity will stand for this agreement
made by Fultz is problematical. There
are rumors around New York that
the board of directors would have
some very pertinent questions to ask,
and would demand that Fultz explain
his sudden switch.
Ed Walsh reached San Francisco
yesterday, and moved on to Paso
Robles today. He will rest up until
Monday, when he will start limbering
up the famous propeller of the spitter.
Jack Redmond forced the seconds
of Jack Nelson to toss a towel into
the ring in the fourth round of their
bout at Dubuque last night. Redmond
had Nelson in bad condition when the
mill was stopped.
Charley White and Patsy Drouil-
lard, the Canadian lightweight, have
been matched for a ten-round fight
in Milwaukee the night of Feb." 23.
Art Hofman, former star outfielder
of the. Cubs, has been signed by the
St. Louis Cards.
Long Tom Hughes has gone back
to the minors at last; not very, far
back, for the coast league is a pretty
big show, even compared to the
American and National.
Tom Hughes is a marvelous man,
and when some of that pld California .
sunshine oozes into that ancient and
honorable right arm the coast fans
will see some speed pitching.
They tell us that Walter Johnson is
fast, that there never has been an
other pitcher as speedy. Maybe not,
but Tom Hughes has had days when
the ball seemed to be moving just as
rapidly as yhen Walter hurled it.
When Hughes broke into fast com
pany he was a tall, rangy youngster,
fresh from the Chicago lots, with
scarcely any experience. The day he
joined the Chicago team at Philadel
phia he was in terrible physical con
dition, suffering from an injury that
would have sent most men to a hos
pital. He suffered all night, and beg
ged those who roomed around him
not to let the manager find out That
afternoon he was sent to pitch
against Philadelphia the hardest
hitting team, beyond doubt, ever col
lected; eight .300 or better hitters in
the field every day, sometimes nine,
led by Delehanty, Douglas, McFar
land, the two Crosses! And the green,
raw boy, fit for the hospital, beat
them on his nerve and could scarcely
stand when the game ended.
Three days later he was throwing
against Baltimore; the'McGraw, Jen
nings, Keeler outfit. McGraw went
after him from the start. It was hjs
game to break a young pitcher if pos
sible. Inning after inning he heaped
abuse, raillery, everything upon,
Hughes and the long fellow kept
quiet and pitched, better and better.
Late in the game McGraw gave up.