Show II II WI II My iMy Thirty Years Of Baseball I I John J. J I ARTICLE 48 45 Why Baseball Unions Fall McGraws McGraw's McGraw's McGraws Personal Suggestions for a Real Ballplayers' Ballplayers Fraternity Ever since baseball became organIzed organized organIzed organ- organ into workable shape there have been seen attempts at the formation of protective fraternities by the players All of pf them have failed tailed All of ot them will continue to tall fall until they find a amore amore amore more definite purpose First we had the Brotherhood starting starting start start- ing on the biggest scale of all The purpose of ot that body was to actually run t the games on a cooperative oo basis i- i The later ones have V had dat for bt their rr purpose protection of rights ra of t In t the matter r of contracts If It the ballplayer had been the victim victim vic vic- tim of or an Injustice or unfair treatment his fraternal organization would have grown and prospered As a a. matter of ot fact tact he Is not mistreated His salary has lias increased steadily with th the progress progress ress ross of ot the game If It he has the goods there is never any great difficulty about arriving at a salar salary agreement The professional ballplayer In the big league usually gets Just what he is worth Therefore with nothing particular to complain about the unions have failed for Jack lack of ot something to doThe do The play players rs grow row tired of seeing their dues go 0 to pay the salaries of men who either sit in the offices looking important or travel about the country at the expense of the contributors DOESN'T OBJECT TO UNIONS Mind you I have have no objection tion to baseball unions Often Orten I have told the players this I do object though to them going ahead without any pro pro- pro program fh f gram grain that will accomplish something t g of actual benefit to the player I am ama a ballplayer at heart even though I Iam Iam i am a manager and a part owner My sympathies are always with the player play play- er ere and particularly the old player whose days on the diamond are done I think any of them will tell you ou I II Iam a am I For or reasons that are obvious I will willI I not give names but it Is la rarely that thata I a Christmas comes around that I do doi donot donot i not have to help some old and Indigent player Not so long ago I 1 had prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared baskets of food lood for a former major malor leagues league's family and took the children downtown and had them clothed This man was mighty well known In the big league learue In his day The one great fault with the so called fraternities is that a lot of older men mediocre at their very best get together and elect some young man a astar astar star as their head They take ad advantage advantage advantage ad- ad vantage of his position and popularity to keep them in the game thereby preventing younger men en from coming coming com com- rr vf ing in I INot Not rot so long Jong ago a leading member of ot the present fraternity called on me He wanted to know if It I would confer with hl him and If It I was opposed to the union I 1 have haye no objection to the union or or- orto to players belonging to it It I to told d him If It there 13 is cause for tor complaint or if It you feel teel that there is unfairness or Injustice lets let's have it Ill I'll listen He hemmed and hawed for a minute What hat have you to complain of on I asked What is your first aim Well he ha finally admitted I dont don't know Just yet But well But well there Is the reserve clause The United States supreme court had Just decided that the reserve clause was perfectly legal All AU baseball baseball base base- ball men know that It is really the backbone of the game I told the young man of this He Ho had not yet heard of ot the decision In fact tact he didn't t know Just what he had c called lIed for tor except to find out If I was hostile or friendly Right there is the trouble They dont don't know exactly what they are about The They are ate without definite aim I sat down and gave this young man mana man man- a fine tine fellow too the to-the the best suggestion that I had If It they will wilt follow the advice tha that thai I offered I believe the baseball fraternity could be made into a wonderful Institution I 1 would be one of its most ardent supporters and anc I think every other other- manager and old player player- would I VETERANS SHOULD BE CARED FOR The prime motive of a baseball union should be to see that the ve vet veteran eran fran player when he Is down and out Is cared for tor Very few of them have the foresight to prepare for tor old age They have a good time while the good J days das are on When their muscles be beI begin begin be- be I gin to slip they find their pocketbooks Just one or two slips ahead of their muscles Their salaries gradually dwindle to nothing Now if the union would devise a aplan aplan aplan plan by which these could be cared for so for so there would be no acute distress In old age then age then the fraternity would be a great and growing grow grow- ing in institution it is perfectly practical I ca cal The ballplayer Is fully ully protected In the matter of contract by the commissioner commissioner com corn missioner of baseball The commissIoner commissioner commissioner commis commis- is even more mindful of the players player's Interest than of the owners owner's because of his apparent helplessness and lack of business knowledge If It the player can deliver deliver- the goods he never has complaint about the amount of ot his salary It Is the man who is Js slipping that complains That department of a unions union's business business business busi busi- ness Is secondary His first aim should be the care of the old players There Is no doubt that It can be done Every fall for Instance we have an ers er's game It always attracts attention There Is no reason why one such game should not be held In ln every city at the end of the season If It It was known that the receipts from these exhibition games would go to the aid of ot old ballplayers the ballplayers the establishment establishment of a home borne It if necessary necessary fans fans would flock into the parks Can you imagine what that would mean in funds There are sixteen clubs In the two big leagues If It every one of them put on such an exhibition game a a. large sum could be realized On a a. rough guess I should say that would be a good average per game That would mean Surely the members of the baseball fraternity have enough constructive S u ability and Kd enough 6 g willingness fi s to work workout workout out the details of such a plan It would require intelligent tion But they are engaging leaders to run the union Certainly those men could attend to to such administration admin admin- The heart of every ballplayer should be in this work If It they go into it on that basis there is no question about the whole scheme being a a. success On the other hand If It they try to make petty differences the prime motive of or organization the whole thing will fall fail Just as the unions have failed in the past Nothing insures the future of any arty organization like accomplish accomplish- ment mont I cannot imagine any gr greater grater ater In Incentive incentive in- in to accomplishment than the helping of old ballplayers when their days of usefulness on the diamond are done I outlined this plan pIan in detail to the representative of the union and he said he would think it over I assured I him that the Giants would be among the first to fall taU In with the scheme and put on the exhibition game Any other club in itt either cither league will do dothe dothe dothe the same In other words the success success of a union lies In the players getting the owners managers and fans tans to work with them instead of In opposition I am so enthusiastic about this plan for helping the old timers that I would be willing for the managers to go Into it even if it the union should not take it Jt up as a body los Tos there thero is a field for a baseball fraternity but It Is not a mere carping over certain clauses in contracts Its purpose must be broad and helpful It must be constructive not ob obstructive ob- ob Copyright 1923 United States and Canada by the Christy Walsh Syndicate Syn Syn- |