Players Today "Have Been Pampered. Baseball Is Handed To Them On A Silver Platter." (1942)

[Times] have changed drastically now. You can't drive players any more, the way they were driven in [John] McGraw's heyday. We have college boys, young men who have been pampered. Baseball is handled to them on a silver platter. They get bonuses for signing contracts. They are invited to tryout camps, where the best available teachers are provided. Why, in the old days a rookie was lucky to get his hands on a bat. He had to fight his way to the plate. No, you can't handle players nowadays with the iron fist.

Billy Southworth, The Sporting News, October 1, 1942

Southworth played for 13 seasons and managed for 13 seasons. He was voted into the Hall of Fame as a manager by the Veterans Committee in 2008.