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Show i Landis Act ! Shows Ills OfContracI By LESLIE AVKKT NIW YORK, Jan. If (UP) The Detroit American league club will need years to recover from Judge Landla housedeanlng. but the Tigers' Ti-gers' predicament Is not worrying I baseball as much todsy as are the effects the decision might hsve on the very game Itself. J Little sympathy la being wasted oa the Detroit dub, or Its genial j general manager. Jack Zeller, who I assumed full responsibility for j handling of the minor league af-j af-j filiations, which Landis charged were used for "wholesale covering Bp" of players. Lees of 91 plsyers, who were made free agents by Landis, was the Density for alleged violation of an agreement subscribed to by the dub and Its officials. The sweeping blow probably removed re-moved Detroit as a serious pennant pen-nant threat for tho next several I 7rs, leaving only the Boston j Red Sox with the financial and I farm facilities to keep the New i York Yankees from making a one-1 one-1 horse race out of the American ' leaguo. The decision "was " tstlmatea-to have cost the Tigers almost S500,-000 S500,-000 In baseball talent, as well as the $4700 Landis ordered paid to 14 other players In Heu of making mak-ing them tree agents. Detroit, one of the best baseball towns la the country, still Is reaping aeons of tho bene flu from Its 1S34 and 1935 championship teams, but without a contender for the next several seasons, attends at-tends ace la almost sure to suffer. Virtual SerNesa But evea more Important than any calamities to the Detroit dub, the American lesgue, or baseball, le the focusing of national na-tional attention again on the structure of the player contract which sends a player Into virtual serfdom, as far as his body is concerned, from tho time he enters en-ters organised baseball until re-tlremeat re-tlremeat Once a player's name Is on a one-rear contract, his body Is owned by that dub, whether It be the lowliest minor or a top-ranking major, to be sold, traded and remunerated as the owner desires. de-sires. Even though the contract expires la one year, tho roes rvs clause makes his ball playing ability abil-ity the property of that club for 11c, or until he Is sold, traded or drafted. , At tho end of each season every rganised dub sends to headquarters headquar-ters a "reserve hst," and tho law governing It reads: "Thereafter ao player on any list shall be eugibie to play for or negotiate with y other dub until his contract has been assigned as-signed or he has been released." That means that no player, for any reason whatsoever, be It fl-nandal fl-nandal or personal, can sevsr reflations re-flations with that dub and go out and peddle his services to 'the highest bidder. AU he can do is hold out feebly whea .contract renewal re-newal time comes around, and hope that his effort will gala him a few extra dollars. But, ta case the club owner does ot see eye-to-eye with him on a salary Increase, the player Is licked afore he starts. It he refuses to Play, he is suspended and therefore there-fore Ineligible to play In organised organ-ised baseball. He Is afraid to go to a dvU court, because even If he should win he knows that baseball base-ball Is such a tight knit fraternity frater-nity he would be blacklisted forever, for-ever, favors Owner Of course, ss the blue book says, uniform contract la necessary to "preserve morale and to produce the similarity of conditions necessary nec-essary to keep competition." but K has been attacked again and again as everwheknlngly la favor of the owner. "Treeing" of the tl players allegedly al-legedly controlled by Detroit already al-ready has started the biggeat "ivory rush" since Landis struck his first blow at chain store baseball base-ball by liberating more than 100 St. Louis Card-oontrolled plsyers ' la March. 1938. . Beany McCoy, rookie tnflelder who stepped bite the sheee of the ' brilliant Charley Gehrlnger at ' second base last year, and Outfielder Out-fielder Roy Cullenblno are the 1yers major league managers 1 saeet Interested in. and both admitted receiving eeveral offers 1 before Landis ordered a SMfotl- , ting for IS days. 1 A proposed deal that would have sent McCoy to Philadelphia for Outfielder Wally Moses was killed by the ruling, much to the satla- teetlon of McCoy, who now should b ablo to ft from $10,000 to $20-000 $20-000 for his stnrice. to soms other najor teaguo club. Zsllsr Kli44 Detroit Owner Wsltar C Brifgs from all ispon Umity te tho al.4td m Udads, |