Clipping:A critique of allowing players to sign before the end of the season
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| Date | Sunday, July 30, 1876 |
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| Text | The bane of professional base ball, next to the abominably high salaries demanded by the players, is the custom of engaging themselves a year in advance. The season is no sooner open than the player begins to feel uneasy about the next year’s engagement, and until this point is settled he is utterly indifferent about the success of the nine to which he then belongs. And unless engaged he is apt to play like a wooden man, with a sort of “don’t care a snap” feeling. While this state of things exists the only sure way to get the best work from players would seem to be to hire them for a term of years. Of course this would be impracticable. But one thing is certain. The present system of allowing players to engage themselves a year ahead is all wrong. The system is opposed to all business principles. If a salesman in an mercantile establishment who was engaged for a year should hire out to a rival concern months before his term of service expired, how long before he would get his “walking ticket?” He would be very properly discharged without a moment’s notice. And yet in base ball this sort of thing is tolerated. The moment a player hires out to a rival club his interest in the club to which he then belongs ceases. This is a natural result. For example, take the case of Pike. He has been engaged to play with the Cincinnatis, having been crowded out of the St. Louis nine by the engagement of Remsen. As a matter of course, Pike cherished some hard feelings against St. Louis, and could it be expected that he would evince as much interest and put forth as much exertion to win as he would if he were going to remain? Manifestly not. Hence we reason that allowing a player to engage himself to a rival club before the season ends is all wrong. And until the thing is stopped, it will remain the curse which it has proved. |
| Source | Philadelphia Sunday Mercury |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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