Show Spen kit url ui tt landis ruling checks illegal diamond deals by ROBERT mcshane released by western newspaper union I 1 0 ON N N NOVEMBER 0 V EM B E R 1 12 2 1 1920 9 2 0 fo following ll 11 0 w an fn g th the e wo worst r st s scandal c a n d a 1 in b baseball a s e b all history major league club owners selected judie judge kenesaw mountain landis as the man to set their house in order it has taken a full SO 20 years since the black sox scandal ot of 1919 for some club owners to realize that they chose a man who Is fearless honest and has the he courage and determination to do the job for which he was selected his recent ukase directed against cover ver up deals cost the detroit tigers 91 players whose talent was valued at and cash which landis ordered paid to 0 14 other players in lieu ol of making them free agents A baseball cover up deal Is one in which a club which ostensibly holds a players contract Is merely holding it lor for some other club the cov er up Is contrary to the laws governing baseball these deals usually fall into one of two classes agreements in which nothing official is put into writing and false transfer papers practice not new these subterfuges are not new in 1006 1906 three national commissioners drew up what is believed to bs be the first rule striking at such practices infractions of the rule can be traced back t to 0 the year of its inception even as late as 1938 landis struck shuck a strong blow by liberating more than st louis cardinal controlled players baseball men today are worried national attention has been focused once more on the structure of the player contract which sends a player into virtual serfdom from the time he enters organized baseball until he retires once a player 0 J JUDGE KENESAW M LANDIS signs his name on a one year contract he is a chattel of that club tt hether it be a cellar position m minor or a top ranking major league club he can be sold paid and traded as the owner desires even though the contract expires in one year the reserve clause makes him the property e ot of that club for life or until IL he is traded sold or drafted at the end of each season every organized club sends to headquarters a reserve list and the law governing it reads thereafter no player on any list S shall hall be el eligible I 1 gible to play for or negotiate with any other club until his contract has been assigned or he has been released fi fighting abtin a lost cause which means that no player regardless e gard less of reason can sever connections with that club and go out and sell his services to the highest bidder AU all he can do is try to hold out tor for a few more dollars when contract contra ct signing time comes around in case the club owner does not agree with him on a salary increase the player Is licked before he starts it if he refuses to play he is suspended and therefore ineligible to play in organized baseball A trip to civil court would result in blacklisting baseball Is a tight knit fraternity it if major league club owners exercise any judgment whatever they hey will see the justice of his decision against detroit more than that they will applaud it rulings such as this have restored the confidence of the american people in baseball the national pastime is fortunate to have haie judge landis as its czar As a helmsman he be Is unequalled unequal led in any other sport baseball fans of the nation know that therefore it behooves club owners to keep their skirts clean of any unethical practices which result in the publics loss of confidence in the sport his decision against detroit may bring renewed efforts on the part of what little opposition there is to landis to relieve him of his office the rules whether fair or not are on the books and it Is landis job to lo see that they are obeyed detroit is a case in point they paid for breaking the rules there may be other club owners guilty of infractions of the baseball code if they are it would be best for them to straighten out their affairs in double quick time Basi baseballs balls present player contract system could not with tina qua i a close public scrutiny |