Evening Star Newspaper, January 19, 1930, Page 92

LN - THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 19, 1930. ase Ball Goes to the Slave Market San Francisco, Cincinnati, Philadel- jphia and Newark all knew Lew Fonseca before he cut himself a large slice of Cleveland cake. BY WM. M. BRAUCHER. ESIDES owning a ball park, club- house and tarpaulin to cover the diamond, a big league ball team has a certain number of other chattels sometimes grouped under the vulgar mnomenclature of “ivory.” This ivory consists of ball players. The system by which a certain valuable piece of ivory comes to the big leagues from the bushes is not unlike the manner of bringing the early slaves to this country from darkest Africa. There were slave hunters in those days; now there are scouts, who year after year roam through the base ball wilderness of the minors, trailing prospective major league talent. New Orleans was the scene of one of the his- toric old slave markets. This year the base ball slave auction was held at Chattanooga; next year, Montreal. These slave markets are an annual affair, known as minor league meetings, and are at- tended by hundreds of minor league officers, ball players with varying degrees of skill, and big leaguers with varying amcunts of money. By purchase or trade is the process by which & certain piece of well polished ivory from the bushes comes to the majors. He may be either drafted, under professional base ball’s universal laws, or his contract bought from the club that owned him. If he is drafted from the lowest of the bush teams, he brings $1,000. If he is drafted from one of the higher-toned miner league teams, the draft price is $5,000. Base ball law calls this process “selection”—a term reminiscent of another draft that blew through ‘w country back in 1917. The process is varied, sometimes even so com- plicated that Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, supreme high commissioner of base ball, has to go to some pains to find which slaves are whose and what about it. Last year, the judge, discovering some skul- ‘duggery aimed at beating the law which holds that a major league team can have just so many slaves and no more, freed quite a group of ivory talent, and the players so freed sud- ‘denly found that they were able to sell their own services. Some sharp bargains resulted, ‘and handsome bonuses were paid the men to sizn on the dotted line and become part of the system again. One of these men was Rick Fer- rell, the St. Louis Browns’ catcher, who was pald $25,000 just to become a slave again. NOTHER variation of the regular slave sys- tem is the chain store idea. Base ball ‘doesn’t always pay in the minor leagues. In fact it is nearly always necessary for these ‘teams to sell at least one player to the majors at the end of the season to break even. The big league clubs, accordingly, have bought a ‘number of minor league teams where the ivory is farmed out for polishing. Many small clucs ‘that otherwise would collapse, have thus drawn ‘on the big league coffers for their livelihood. During the major league meetings this year in New York City, complaints were made about ‘the way the big fellows were buying up college ‘stars while they were still in college, depriving @pe minors of a chance to profit by their “de- ‘velopment” and sale. The big leaguers prom- ‘ised to stop the practice. For the last several years it has been an open ‘secret that many of the big league clubs had gone so far in the quest for ivory that they were paying the way of a number of college ‘stars through school. After the young man ‘graduated, he would be signed by the major Jeague team that paid his way, after which he would be farmed to the minors for polishing. . Thousands of dollars that the minors might have realized had the young man started off in ‘the minors and worked his way up, thus went iglimmering. The minors want the raw material Buying, Selling and Trading Players From One Club to Another Has Become a Winter Habit With the Magnates, and the Results of the Ivory Swap Are Sometimes as Inex- plicable and Mysterious as the Stock Market Crashes in Wall Street. as their own chattel; they care nothing, or practically nothing, about developing some- body else’s ivory just for the glory of the thing. Sometimes it takes years to develop a bit of ivory to the point where it finally is accepted as the genuine article. And the number of ball players who have been up and down between the majors and the bushes forms an_interesting battalion, each with a story. AMONG the base ball slaves, Babe Herman of the Brooklyn team stands unique. He has been with a dozen clubs in nine different leagues. Ask him off-hand about any town in the country where there is a base ball team and Babe is pretty sure to know the porter at the Commercial Hotel, the station agent and to have borrowed $3 from the proprietor of the Gem pool room. Yet Babe Herman is not yet 27! He was born Floyd Caves Herman, June 26, 1903, in Buffalo. At a tender age (if a ball player ever.is of a tender age) he migrated to California. His debut took place eight years ago with Edmonton of the Western Canada In 1922 Babe, who had shown quite a pro- ficiency in clouting the ball, was brought up to Detroit with Heinie Manush. Herman was cast adrift at once. While he could hit anything a pitcher took a notion to throw, he was a lost ball in the outfield. It was an even bet whether Babe caught a fly ball in his glove or on the head. He made classical terrible mistakes chas- ing drives. So he was sent to Reading, Pa. They saw him foozle a couple of flies there, and on his way he went, to Omaha. He played in 92 ball games for Omaha, batted .416, was hit on the head with a fly ball, and given his release. “How can I release a player who is hitting .4002” the manager of the Omaha team plaintively asked the president of the club. “I don't care if he is h:tting .4000,” is the reported reply. “I don’t want any ball players killed in my outfield.” So he went. But the Red Sox were needing a hitter, so Lee Fohl took a chance on the Babe. He was tried at this position and that, and showed great disregard for the conventions of fielding balls in flight. Lee Fohl tried to correct him—but Herman didn’t like Boston and cared less for the Red Sox, so he was released. Otto Miller, who was managing Atlanta in the Southern League, took him on, and the fans of Atlanta were treated to some circus antics in the outfield and some very serious work with the bat. MILLER at length decided to fire the Babe. The day he made the decision Herman broke up the ball game with a timely blow. That gave him another day’'s lease on life. The next day he did the same. It continued for five days, and on the last day Babe batted perfect 1.000. £ Babe’s departure was only delayed because Burleigh Grimes, one of the last of the vanishing tribe of “spitters.” they literally couldn't get him out. Then they sent this willing slave to Memphis. The same thing happened there—Babe was finally routed over the slave trails to Seattle. Spencer Abbott, scouting for Brooklyn, saw Babe and opined that his fielding faults could be cor- rected. Uncle Wilbert took him, saw him catch a fungo with his ear, and traded him to Minneapolis. That was in 1925, and Babe broke down all the fences in the American Association. Robbie brought him back to good old Brooklyn again. A cog in the former bonc-crushing Yankee machine, Bob Meusel has now been sold “down the river” to Cincinnati. . A wandering wallopper is Rogers Hornsby, sold from club to club like & busher, yet his bat won a pennant for the Cubs last season. Robin®n put him at first base to take the place of the fading Fournier. Oddly enough, Babe flelded like a demon that year. In 1927, however, his bat seemed to have lost its power—he hit only .272. Robinson asked the other National League clubs to waive on his services. But John McGraw of the Giants re- fused to waive. Robbie, fortified by McGraw's desire for Babe, kept him and placed him in the outfleld. Babe rewarded the Brooklyn boss by batting .340, although he gave Robbie several near fits by his quaint way of judging & high-soaring fly ball. Last season Herman batted for weeks well above .400 and gave Flatbush thrill upon thrill, and for the time being that is the story of the much-traveled Babe. McGRAW. who was smart enough to know that Herman was good ivory, has not always been so wise. In the last half dozen years McGraw has made trades that did not always bear the stamp of base ball erudition. Thus, of the most valuable pieces of ivory in the National League last season, three were men who might have labored for the Giants but for McGraw’s ideas. These were Rogers Hornsby, Frank O’Doul and Burleigh Grimes. And all three are slaves who have been bandied about quite a bit. McGraw gave a gob of money and ivory to the Cardinals for the Rajah, kept him a year and then traded him mysteriously to the Braves for Frank Hogan and Jimmy Welsh. Hogan proved to be excellent bench ballast, and Welsh was sent on his way. From the Braves, Hornsby was brought to Chicago by some of the Wrigley lucre, and last year he proved to be the punch that won a National League pennant. O’Doul also slaved for McGraw. During the process he turned his ankle, and John sent him to the Phils in exchange for Fred Leach. O'Doul rewarded McGraw's judgment by batting an even .398 to lead the National League last year, while Leach smote just .286. PITCHER GRIMES was sent to Pittsburgh in the famous deal for Vic Aldridge. Grimes slaved pretty well in his new job, being among the most brilliant pitchers in the league, while Aldridge won never a game for McGraw, besides holding out for more salary, reporting late and being sent down the river to Newark. But when Grimes first came to the big leagues, in 1913, Ottumwa sold him.to Detroit for $400. He was turned over to Chattanooga later that year as part payment for Coveleskie, Chattanooga released him to Birmingham, and Birmingham released him to Richmond option. ally, selling him later to Pittsburgh. In 1918 he was traded to Brooklyn. He reached the Giants in 1927, Lew Fonseca of the Indians, declared last year thie most valuable piece of ivory in the American League, has slaved here and there under handicaps that would have made a weaker heart give up. From the time when he broke in, eight years ago, in San Francisco, Lew continually fought injuries sustained in the course of his employment. Cincinnati used him as a utility man for four years. Finally he was bustled off to the Phils, and in 1925 he played second base and batted .319. Next year he found himself in Newark. He won revenge by batting .381, and Cleveland picked him up. At once injuries began to beset him. In the first game 'of the 1928 season a collision put him out of the game long enough for Carl Lind, another rising young bit of talent, to clinch his job at second base. Lew decided he would like to play first base. During the 1929 training season First Baseman Johnny Hodapp was injured, and Lew got his chance. He re- warded his owners by hitting .369 to lead the American League. For the first time, Fonseca doesn’t have to worry about being traded away this year. ¢QOLD down the river” is a phrase familiar in base ball, a phrase which originated in the older slave trade. Every year sees stars fade, sold or traded to other teams. Two examples of men who have been up and down like an elevator, finally to stay down, are Bevo Lebourveau and Nick Cullop. “Too good for the minors, not quite good enough for the majors,” sports writers call this pair. (Copyright, 1930.)