The day book., January 13, 1917, LAST EDITION, Image 10

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

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

mmsssmmfmmm
BASEBALL SPORTS OF ALL SORTS BOXING
TALK OF PLAYERS' STRIKE IS
. PUBLICITY FOR BASEBALL
By Marie Shields
There is a strong hunch going the
rounds tnat tne trouoie Between ma
Baseball Players' T'raternity and the
club owners is not; so serious as some
newspaper stones and interviews
would appear to make it. Ban John
son is on deck today with a boLshot
at Dave Fultz, head of the fraternity,
and says any player of the American
league who is not sign6d to a con
tract will not be taken on the spring
training trip.
He refers to Catchej" Henry of
Washington and Dick Hoblitzel of
the Red Sox, both active members
of the organization, and says they
can take their choice between play
ing ball and acting as directors of
the frat
All of which makes some baseball
reading at a time when the game
was about to drop off the sport pages
for lack of winter interest. Fultz and
his threats of strike have enabled
Ban and his people to keep in -the
'Jdmelight He should have their
thanks.
As a matter of cold fact, Fultz is
not apt to receive much support
from major league players. Sqme
athletes attached to minor clubs may
follow his lead.
One thing that militates 'against
Ihe fraternity is the way it regarded
players who leaped from organized
(baseball to the Federal league. Fultz
frowned on those fellows and re
fused to admit them to membership,
That Incurred for him the enmity
of the leapers, Tinker being one who
was especiallywrought up, Several
other former organized stars who
came to the Chifeds were turned
down in their attempt to join the
frat and1 the bitterness aroused then
remained when peace was declared
among the club owners. They would I
have nothing. to do with the frat last
year, and did their best to discourage
its propaganda.
If the frat was ever to amount to
anything it had an opportunity dur
ing the Federal league war. Players
were out to reap a harvest then, and
a bargain could have been driven
that would have strengthened their
position for several years.
Right now the fraternity is not
strong enough to back up Fultz's
talk of a nation-wide strike of the
players. To accomplish such a feat
it would need the co-operation of the
big stars of the game, and this has
not been forthcoming. Every mem
ber of the old Connie Mack macfc'ne,
now scattered among beveral teams,
was against the fraternity, and their
attitude has not changed. Eddie Col
lins does not favor it, neither does
Jos Jackson, -and Ray Schalk and
Buck Weaver have intimated they
will have no traaWwith Fultz.
Othec teams are in much the same
situation as the White Sox, with
their stars safely landed and not
worrying about Fultz and his dic
tums. There are faults on the parts of
both the fraternity and club owners.
If Ban Johnson had recognized Fultz
at the outset of the fraternity's or
ganization, if he had conferred with
Dave as the head of an organization,
instead of treating him as an outlaw,
much tof the recent trouble would
never have occurred.
It is a fair assumption that some
of Fultz's activities have been1
aroused through pique at the way
he has been dealt with and ignored.
At one lime the players were badly
treated, but right now it is hard to
make any one believe the noble ath
letes are white slaves, down-trodden
and deserving of any great sym
pathy. -
Grover Cleveland Alexander. Pat
Moran's great Philadelphia team,'
has returned his contract with the
&