The Washington times., 1902-02-18
ORIOLES BOOKED
FOR GOTHAM TOWN
Offices of American League to
Be in New York.
CHICAGO LEADERS BURY HATCHET
New Organization Has Plans for
Lease of Manhattan Fieid-"MuEE-
s,' McGrnw. II Is Said. Will Hnn-
die. New Giants if Deal Goes.
1snecinl to Tie Washington Times


( CHICAGO, Feb. 17-President Ban John
son has decided to transfer the headquar-
ters of the American Baseball League
| from the twelfth floor of the Fisher
Building in Chicago to of the tall
| office buildings fronting on lower Broad
way, of New York.
| The change of base will be made this
| spring-a week or two before the formal
opening of the American League cham
pionship season on April %.
Orioles for Gotham.
Furthermore, if the present plans of
the special head of the American League
do net miscarry. the Baltimore Club is
to be moved bag and baggage over to New
York. TO represent the metropolis of the
nation in the race for the pennant.
But this is not all. This afternoon
White Sox. and President James A Hart,
of the Chicago National League team met
by chance. After wasting thirty minutes
in chatting each other over the playing
rules and kindred nonsense the rival Chi
caso magnates exchanged opinions as to
the relative merits of their respective ball
teams, and then INDUCED in a heart to
heart talk, which resulted in the match
ing of the two teams to play series of
To Fisht 1t Out.
Six of these fifteen games are to be
played before the opening of the American
League championship season on April %,
and the remaining nine games are to be
pulled off at the close of the pennant sea-
SON Seven Of the games will be played
on the South Side grounds of the Chicago
American League club, and the remaining
games of the series will be played on the
home grounds Of the rejuvenated 'Orph-
ans on the West Side.
Although the meeting OF Comiskey's all
star aggregation and James \. Hart's
carefully selected bunch of ambitious
youngsters will prove of more than pass
f! ing Importance, the great event in the
baseball history of today was undoubtedly
the verification of the rumor that Ban
| Johnson ila1 decided to carry the war into
, the very heart of the enemy's country by
I locating the headquarters of the Amerl-
can League in New York.
New York Responsible.
The story came from New York orig
/ inally. and at late hour last night it
was proved authentic. These are the
{ facts:
| The American League under the able
direction of Mr. Johnson. has finally de-
! coed to enlarge on its original expansion
scheme Taking quick advantage of the
wrangling and pickering now prevailing
| in the National League circuit, johnson
! and his colleagues have made up their
minds that this is the appointed time
| for their much talked of invasion OF the
| rich metropolitan district.
baltimore Doomed.
! ignoring the strained relations between
| the various magnates of the National
| League, the leaders of the rapidly eX-
panding American League have made
their plans to annex New York and cut
out Baltimore from their circuit.
! Offices have already been leased for
term of years, and by the 1st Of April
| Mr. Johnson will quietly transfer all the
lares and Denates of the, American
| League from Chicago to New York. once
4 settled in the very heart CT wicked
| Gotham, President Johnson will lose no
! time in attempting to pull of the biggest
| baseball coup.
In brief, he will make a determined ef-
| fort to secure a long term lease on
Manhattan field, the best of the only two
| ball parks located within the legal con-
| fines of Greater New York.
Freedman Holds Lease.
Andrew Freedman holds an eght-year
lease on the Manhattan Field. and it goes
without saving that Andrew Freedman is
| mighty hard man to deal with. But this
! does not alter the fact that Johnson and
his followers are warranted in believing
that they can talk business with Freed
man. and with an even break of luck sue
! ceed IN securing lease of Manhattan
| Field.
| If this ball park is secured Johnsons
| bunch of nervv magnates Will work with
| amazing rapidity Manager McGraw and
| his band of Orioles viii be switched over
! to Gotham on the fastest train out OF
! Baltimore. and long before the rather hys
/ terical Dopulace of Gotham realizes what
! it all means "Muggsy' and his mates will
be safely installed in their new home on
| Manhattan Field.
| Always Hope.
| But it does not follow that even if this
scheme Of transferring the Baltimore
team 10 New York fails. that Mr.. John
son s League will abandon hope. First OF
| all. the headquarters OF the league will be
moved to New York. Mr.. Johnson de
/ clincd to talk for publication tonight,
but nevertheless it is a fact that he has
decided to move the Office OF the American
! League to New York.
| He knows that the Western half of his
| circuit consisting Of Cleveland, St Louis.
! Detroit and Chicago, is in perfect working
order He knows furthermore that the
| work OF perlecting an ideal circuit in the
| East centres in the city OF New York.
American Leads.
He knows that the American League is
today recognized as the premier major
League Of the country. In order to push
bis organization to the front rank and
|, keep it there. Mr.. Johnson knows that it
| will be necessary for him TO locate in
New York As natural sequence John
son viii quit Chicago, and 90 to Gotham.
! The formal announcement of this change
| Of base win be made at the spring meet
| ing OF the American League. which is TO
| be held in Detroit on March 3.
| After this formal confab is held in De
| tr0it. all the future annual meetings of
the American League will be held in New
| York while the spring or so-caied
| schedule meeting" will convene in Chi
cagO.
| DascbaiI Player O'Weara Dead.
FORT WAYNE, Ind, Feb. 17.-Edward