Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 148, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1920 — GREEDY PLAYERS ARE WEAKENING BASEBALL [ARTICLE]

GREEDY PLAYERS ARE WEAKENING BASEBALL

Avarice, Strikes and Gambling Scandals Hurt Game. Big League Club Owners May Decide to AboHsh World’s Series or Divide Net Receipts Among Themselves In Future. So much trouble in baseball has been caused by the playing of the world s series that the big league club owners may decide either to abolish the games altogether or to divide the net receipts among themselves, says a well known basebail veteran, in Evening Sun. The players are responsible for the hostile attitude of some of the magnates, who say that the squabbles over world’s series shares are commercializing baseball to such a degree that sportsmanship soon may be of no importance. Greed for gold is creating much ill feeling in the camp of the Yankees. Although the players received handsome salaries last year, with about |SOO each extra for winning,third position, under the new world’s series rules, they grumbled »because the groundkeeper, the trainer and two assistant secretaries were included in the melon cutting. In spite of heavy financial burdens, which the owners of the Yankees have shouldered the players threatened to call a strike unless their demands were granted. They were prepared to deprive their employers of gate receipts from,, exhibition games, which hardly pay the expenses of the southern training trip. Avarice on the part of ball players is slowly but surely discouraging and disgusting the public. When the Cuba, and Red Sox. during the 1918 world's series in Boston, struck for more money than they were entitled to, under the rules adopted by the national commission, they dealt the game a body blow. Ist year certain players openly expressed a desire to be traded to teams that appeared to have chances to participate in the world’s series. Several stars have repudiated contracts for the purpose of getting more money elsewhere. With charges of collusion between a few players and professional gamblers, shaking the confidence of the fans, it cannot be denied that baseball needs a tremendous shakeup.