This week is a bit about Gehrig holding out before the 1937 season for a raise.
On the morning of March 18, [Yankee manager] Joe McCarthy phoned Gehrig at home and asked if he was ready to join the team in Florida. Gehrig said he wanted very much to head south, but he was determined not to give in yet again to [owner Col. Jacob] Ruppert. Their negotiations had been unusually acrimonious. Ruppert had offered $31,000 -- the same as Gehrig made in 1936 -- and Gehrig had insisted on $50,000. Ruppert called it an unreasonable demand. Gehrig called it payback for the Depression-era pay cuts. Now, Gehrig told McCarthy he would settle for $45,000 a year for two years, or $40,000 for one year with a $10,000 incentive for playing 100 games. Why would a man who hadn't missed a day at work in a dozen years need a $10,000 incentive for playing 100 games? And, why would the Yankees offer one? It seemed an odd demand, to say the least. Gehrig probably floated the idea because he thought he deserved a reward for his incrdible fortitude -- and perhaps to show Ruth that he was wrong, that the Yankees did value his every-day performance. McCarthy must have recognized that even the first part of Gehrig's request, the $40,000 in straight salary, was not likely to be met. Still, the manager promised to telephone the colonel and see what he could do.
Ruppert, McCarthy, and Gehrig spent the morning swapping long-distance calls. Finally, Ruppert spoke directly to his star first baseman and said he would pay $36,000 -- a $5,000 raise from the previous season. Gehrig said that he would take $37,500. Ruppert held the lline at $36,000, but he offered to throw in a $750 bonus. Ruppert understood that Gehrig had decided to make a stand. At the same time, he knew that Gehrig hated to disappoint the authority figures in his life. By tossing him a small bonus, he permitted his faithful employee to end his rebellion and claim a small victory. Gehrig signed on the dotted line.
No comments:
Post a Comment