- Publish date:
The Question: What should the owners of the major league baseball teams do for their players? (Asked of the player representatives.)
J. NORMAN LEWIS, New York, N.Y.
Counsel, Major League
Baseball Players Assn.
"Improve conditions so baseball will attract the highest type men. The evolution towards that end has already started. We have many college men playing in the big leagues. The aim should be to put baseball on a par with medicine, law, engineering and other professions, the goal of the most promising boys."
RALPH KINER, Palm Springs, Calif.
Outfielder
Cleveland Indians
"Make the pension system adequate. The average big league player has 30 years of baseball behind him when he retires. At 50, I think he should get $100 a week. Although we get 60% of World Series TV and radio and all the money from the All-Star game, we are far from that goal."
SID HUDSON, Lubbock, Texas
Pitcher
Boston Red Sox
"Give more players a chance to make the big time. That can be done by increasing the number of clubs in each league to ten. At present, baseball is practically the monopoly of the East. The West Coast is ripe for big league baseball. Los Angeles and San Francisco could easily support major teams."
EDDIE YOST, S. Ozone Park, N.Y.
Third baseman
Washington Senators
"The schedule should be shortened. We now play 154 games. The games should be reduced to 140. That would give us better traveling conditions and eliminate some double-headers. I also think it would be a good idea to fly to all games. We'd get there quickly and have more time for rest."
ELMER VALO, Palmerton, Pa.
Outfielder
Kansas City Athletics
"The minimum salary for a big leaguer should be boosted from $6,000 to $8,000. Nine out of ten boys play baseball. But there are only 400 major league players. They're the pick of the country. Raising the minimum salary to $8,000 is more important than signing 'bonus kids,' usually money wasted."
ALLIE REYNOLDS, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Pitcher
New York Yankees
"Encourage more cordial player-owner relations. These relations are now much better than they were, but there's still room for improvement. I'd suggest more frequent meetings between the owners and our representatives. In this way they could become more sympathetic to our problems."
SHERMAN LOLLAR, Springfield, Mo.
Catcher
Chicago White Sox
"Players should be prohibited from taking voluntary cuts in salary of more than 25%, as Kiner was after he offered to take a 40% cut. We know Ralph's motives were above reproach. But what's to prevent some manager from 'negotiating' for a 'voluntary' cut? This could be a wedge to pay less."
HARVEY KUENN, Milwaukee, Wis.
Shortstop
Detroit Tigers
"The spring training season is too long. It should be cut down from six to four weeks with only 20 exhibition games. The 'bonus' player should be eliminated for his own good. He spends his first two years sitting on the bench when he should be playing in a minor league for experience."
EIGHT PHOTOS
ILLUSTRATION
