The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-07
GIANTS WILL NOT
PLAY AMERICANS.
MUGSY SAYS so, AND IT'S so.
SCRAPPY LITTLE MANAGER SET
TIES QUESTION FOR ALL TIME.

Gives rs His Reason for Refusing
to Play That Ban johnson Has
Not Been on the Square with Him
.PersOna1Iy-He Also Charges the
American League Management
With CrOOkedness-McGrR Stin
Retains His Reputation as the
Long Distance Hammer ThrOwer,
Verbally Speaking.
The much mooted question of
whether or not the New York Giants
would play the New York Americans
post season series of games was
practically settled before the team left
Savannah last spring while engaged
in their spring practices.
In speaking of the matter to a
Morning News reporter at that time
Manager McGraw said that he would
positively not play the New York
Highlanders series of games, whether
he won the pennant or not. At that
time he stated that his reason for this
was that he did not desire to adver-
tise the American League club.
Recently McGraw has come out in
an interview in which he gives a diff
ferent story as his reason for not
playing the Americans. He charges
that Ban Johnson has not been on
the square with him, and he is mad.
and will not play. There are those
who have their own ideas about the
real reason McGraw refuses to play
the Americans. 1t is true that the
Giants outdraw the Americans in New
York but this is easily explained by
the fact that the American League
Park is at present inaccessible on
account of the construction of the sub
way now in progress.
Following is the interview given out
by McGraw several days ago:
Il want to announce that If the
Giants win the National League pen
nant there will be no championship
series with any club in the American
League. This is final and absolute, so
far as l am concerned. 1 never talked
with Mr.. Brush or any stockholders
in our club about the matter, and 1
do not care what the owners say or
intend to do. / am the manager of
the club, and I guess 1 have something
to say.
Ban johnson Not On the Level.
1.-THE reasons for my decision are that
Ban Johnson has not been on the level
with me personally. and the American
League management, to my knowledge,
has been crooked more than once.
introduced Ban Johnson in the East
I was his best friend. I made him ac-
Quainted with those who are now his
intimate acquaintance in the East. |
played him square and did not l5now
that he was the man to frame things
had "a Eolttt,1ora "a ~
UP money from my own pocket many
time for salaries, once as much as
$1,000.
why He DisIiIzes johnson.
when Johnson got the league GO
ing, he thought he could be better by
Dropping Baltimore and invading New
York. The method he used 70 queer
me, and just at time when the i;a,-
timore Club was beginning to pay, was
to suspend me indefinitely and other
wise prosecute me by jobs that he
framed up with his umpires. Finally
1t got so rank that 1 could not STAND
I any longer, and 1 threw up the
sponge.
We'll, Johnson succeeded in invading
New York. but, say, l went him one
better, and took on the National League
Club in the same city. Now. after
Johnson caused me to lose $500 of my
own hard-earned money, 1 have the
whip hand.
II don't know whether my club will
win the pennant or not. We have G
hard fight ahead of US, and I'll be righi
there hustling all the time. We are
out to play the game from the drop Of
the flag, fair game. a square game
and every patron of the club will get {
run for his money.
But the team will have nothing Il
do with the American League so Ions
as have a word to say, and no influ.
ence brought to bear upon me by Ma,
tional League people can make ms
change my mind"