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Milking
Goats for a Living
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. . . Regardless of the
reserve clause and the power that baseball owners had, some players were
able to bargain for better salaries by simply asking. But often the
civilized approach didn’t work. When a player didn’t like his salary, he
could hold out for a suitable offer. Holdouts opt not to play and,
consequently, don’t get paid. Since there was a plethora of potential
players willing to take the place of a holdout—often for less money and
certainly for less hassle—owners rarely cared if some disgruntled hack
went back to milking goats for a living. Owners took notice, however,
when faced with a holdout from a star player. Though management still
tried to play hardball, celebrity players often prevailed. Fans paid to
see such players and the owners, with an eye toward ticket sales, would
sometimes, begrudgingly, entertain salary negotiations.
After two seasons in the majors and a stellar 1908 season, Ty Cobb
entered into a bitter contract battle with the owner of the Detroit
Tigers. Barbs were tossed at one another through quotes in the press, as
they often are today. Finally, despite what Cobb called owner Frank
Nevin’s “nefarious” behavior during the holdout, the ballplayer accepted
a $5,000 salary offer, which was a 100 percent raise. Babe Ruth was
another celebrity holdout.. . .
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