The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-10
SPORTS
UP TO LENNON NOW
st. Paul Team Will Be Transferred
to Chicago if He
Consents.
Strong Pressure Brought to Bear
No Opposition From Big
Leagues Is Expected.

Life in a great city proved too siren
uous for majority Of the club owners
in the American association and as a re-
suit the annual meeting Of that organiza-
ton in Chicago adjourned unexpectedly
at o'clock last night.
Yesterdays session was held at the
Auditorium hotel and was alike unique,
mysterious and unsatisfactory. The only
real issue, namely, the circuit was clev-
erly side-stepped by the assembled mag
mates. Before they adjourned the club
owners agreed to leave the entire ques-
ton of whether or not it would be to
the best interests of the organization to
transfer the St.s Paul club to Chicago,
to a special committee which met to-
day at the Auditorium and was empow-
cred to take final action in the case. This
committee consists of President Thomas
Jefferson Hickey, George Lennon of St.
Paul, George Tebeau of Louisville and
Alderman Havenor of Milwaukee. AL
though not a single member Of this COM
.lnittee was in mood to talk last night.
it was admitted that Hickey, Tebeau and
Havenor would spend all their time and
eloquence in an attempt to induce Len
non to transfer the st. Paul club to Chi
cago.
Last night Lennon was shy on talk
and insisted that st. Paul would not lose
its ball team. but long after he had made
this statement men who are in a posi-
ton to know declared that the Mime
sofa magnatJ would sell out his interest
in the cluo before the meeting of the
special committee to-day If this report
is correct the st. Paul club will change
hands and Chicago will enjoy a doubt
full luxury of a professional baseball team
located on the North Side.
There are many obstacles to be over
before this jc tod
but if it does go through the new Chi
cago club will be owned by a syndicate
of which George Tebeau will be the Off
cial head. In fact Tebeau will own the
controlling interest in the club. None
of the men interested from Tebeau down
would talk about the location of the
grounds, the makeup of the team and the
If the deal is made Tebeau will close an
option which he now holds on a piece of
property located OH the North Side.
The only hitch in this deal, which was
sprung so suddenly and mysteriously, is
the failure thus far of Lennon of St.
Paul to accept the existing conditions
and gracefully make his exit from the
world of professional baseball. The lead
ing men in the American association put
in the best part of yesterday in trying to
persuade Lennon that it was to his in
terest to cut out st. Paul and transfer
MS team to Chicago. Many propositions
were made to him. The best one con-
sisted of a cash consideration and a third
interest In the proposed Chicago club
Evidently this offer looked good to Len
non for he allowed President Hickey to
place him on the circuit committee, know
Ing that other members of the commit
tee named Hickey, Tebeau and Havenor
were strongly in favor of dropping st.
Paul and taking up Chicago as the eighth
club in the circuit. The chances are that
neither Comiskey, the master of the
White Socks, nor Colonel Hart, the own
er of the "Orphans,' will make any at
tempt to prevent the American associa-
ton from placing q team, in the city. The
truth is that in the opinion of most base
ball men, a minor league team playing
on the North Side will not materially af-
feet the patronage Of. either the West
Side or South Side games