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Show CONTRACTS WILL BE FOR OlEMfi OIL! Long-term Agreements a Thing of Past, Much to Flayers' Sorrow. NEW YORK. Feb. 17. The long-term contract for ball players is a thing of the past. The magnates have so decree. 1, and henceforth players will be offered papers pa-pers calling for one year's service. There may be occasional exceptions to this plan, but only in cases where the player has the marks of a rising star and will agree to a salary which will conform with the magnate's estimate of his value on the field of play. Back in the warsome days of the federal fed-eral league the club owners in organized br'scbaii were forced to siu up their men to long-time contracts or take a 'haucp of losing them to the outlaw circuit. But the days of war are o?cr, and there is no likelihood that another disturbance dis-turbance in the way of an outlaw league will arise for some years at least. The lesson taught to the Federal league was too vivid. The new contracts contain option and ten-day release clauses, though they are considered eminently fairer to the'play-ers the'play-ers than any that have tone before. Quite naturally, the ball players deplore de-plore the fact that iron-clad agreements calling for two and three vears' services ser-vices will be ottered them no 'more. But they have brought it on themselves. In the heyday of the lengthv contract the player thought more of jov ridinti and gratifying his personal desires than he did oi' tending strictly to business and "iving his cinpluver tiie best he had on the field. But front now on the player will find himself called upon to show to his best ' advantage, for, unless he does so the club owner will have the edge on him and a.big edge. too. A player who does not show up well will not be in a posi- tiou to ask for more money when his contract with the club expires. If, on the contrary, he plays nood ball, the magnate will have reasons for raising his ghost-walk. Tt is the belief of some baeb.nll men that the ranking stars of the game today to-day would play more brilliantly if thev were signed up for but one season at a time. Advertised day after day on the s'.-orting paces of the country .is sensational sensa-tional i .layers and ambitious either to better their salaries or prove to the satisfaction of the magnates that they are worth big nionev from vear to vear, the piavers would have more to think about in the way o holding their places in the spotlicht. |