Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-05-10 | Page 59 | Federals Adopt Reserve Clause

FEDERALS ADOPT RESERVE M Ten-day Stipulation Also Appears; Ap-pears; Players Free After Ten Years' Service. The famous ton days' clauso which has stirred trouble in tho baseball world since- the invasion of the new Federal league has not been completely ignored Ijv the third-league magnates. The equally important reserve clause, upon which' the Federals havo built tho foundation for a legal fifiht with orpan-ired orpan-ired baseball, has not been scratched off the Federal contracts. The mapuates who are striving to show up the niothods of the older pooh-bnhs pooh-bnhs have so carefully modified and limited the use of tho ten days' and reserve re-serve clauses that a close inspection of the Federal contracts will show that the hall plaver is not handled a la slaves. The athfote is governed with kid glovos, so to speak, and those -who originated the Federal league contracts have pone twav out of their course to srive the plaver an exceptionally elegant deal, fidward Gates, counsel for the Federal Fed-eral league, not. only has consented to show an official Federal league contract, con-tract, but the Feds' attorney explains the difference between the Federal con- ' tracts and those of organized baseball, and for the first time has afrreed to have the public Iraow of the inside gov- ernment. Clause Defined. The ten days ' clause has a prominent place in the Federal, contract, but, as explained by Mr. Gates, this impromptu notice of release, applies only to players play-ers who have no record to back their numes. In other words, to protect the interests inter-ests of the lea.gue, when a youngster " from the minors attaches his signature to a Federal contract, he does so with the understanding that he may be turned loose on ten days' notice. - This, however, does not apply to the stars those players who have jumped their contracts to play with the Feds "and the players who are known to : possess big leafrue qualifications. Dec CrandaTl, Joe Tinker, Miner Brown, A! Bridwell. George Stovall, Otto Knabe. Ed Willet. Ad Brennan and other former National and American Ameri-can league performers are tiudei- con--. tract with the Federals minus the ten : oavs' clause. Not so with the unknowns, however. 5 According to Counsel Gates, one-half of the Federal players are held under this necessary ruling, because when a club si2ns a new youngster, if he doesn't meet with exrect ations, out he goes in ;a hurry. Rulings Similar. I The Federal league's ten days' notice no-tice is similar to the big league ruling. The following clause is taken, word for word, from an original contract: S It is further understood and 3 agreed that the club owner, at any time after the beginning of and - prior to the completion of the !Jt period of this contract, give the i ; t1 plaver ten days' notice to end and determine all its liabilities and obligations ob-ligations under this contract, in ,, which event all liabilities and obli-ii obli-ii gations undertaken, by said club 11 owner. ' in this contract, shall a.t ' once cease and determine at the ex--piration of said ten days ' notice. ! Now, getting down to the mueh-dis-', pitted reserve clause, Attorney Gates ,j joints out, as per the Federal league's reserve right, that a player is per-, per-, sonallv benefited by such an option. , The 'difference between the reserve I Mause of the Federal league and that of organized baseball is that a written ..notice of such an option must be given . the plaver on or before the loth day of I September. . - "Unless the notice is served on speci-" speci-" Bed time it becomes invalid. Further Kristin? the plaver, says Gates, is the potential fact that an annual increase jin salary of 5 per cent of his original O'Bgnre be given the player who is held gander option. Federal Clause. The reserve clause inthe Federal contract con-tract follows: The club owner shall have -the tf exclusive right and option of ex- tending this contract from year to ji year upon liko conditions, except j that the compensation to be paid j the player shall be 5 per cent each f year in excess of the sum named I in this contract, provided that writ- II ten notice of the exercise of such 'I an option shall be given to the . I . player on or before September 15. . The Federal league contract also pro- fides that after a player has given serv-e serv-e for any portion of ten different fears, said "athlete shall be given, if lie o desires, his unconditional release. The other agreements of the Federal eagiie contracts are similar in every loint to contracts of the National and Irnerieun leagues. The club owner rc-lerves rc-lerves the right to retain the services if the player for such continuous "enjrtli of time as desirable following he close of the scheduled season. For this extra' labor the mapia-to .jrrces to remunerate tho player at tho ate per day of one-thirtieth of the nontuly salary. Attorney Gates, when visited 'in his ndianapoiis office, readily agreed to lyitraighten the controversy over tho Fod-nal Fod-nal league contract. "There has been a great deal of dis- ussion over our contract in regard to he ten days' clause and reserve clause pf fi I do not mind that the public see ltle matter in its correct light," Mr. lates reported. "Our contracts contain, tho ten days' lause and the reservo clause; wo could ot possibly keep in existence unless "'e duly protected ourselves in signing flayers who arc not known. "Tho players who came to us from 'franized baseball havo signed conflicts con-flicts with tho ten days' clauso crossed "t entirely; the reserve clauso, giving 00 player mutual teims, stands tho way Jj : rends in everv case. 'We have not bound our players to (rt ;ne-8ided contracts, and I beliove that " ferybody will agree that it is perfect- legitimate and businesslike to not yijte chances on ' unknowns'; with a yiostnntial boost in salary stated in our reserve' clause, tho player is given the (tffoare deal."