Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-24
BERRY REFUSES
OFFER FOR GRAY
BOSTON AMERICANS ASK FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WANT PREMIER TWlRLER FOR
DUTY THIS SEASON
MANAGER Of Angel Team Declines to
Consider Any Proposition of Sale
or Trade Until Pennant
Race Ends

Efforts are being made by the Boston
American baseball club to buy the re-
lease of Dolly Gray, the crack Angel
twirler, from Hen Berry, and last night
fiat proposition was made to Hen Tor
the sale of his premier curve artist.
Hugh McBreen, the Boston scout, VINO
took Cravath and Carlisle away from
Berry last winter, is the interested in
dividual who has had the temerity to
ask Berry to set price at which ne
would be willing to sell his contract on
Gray's services. With characteristic
brevity Hen replied by wire that none
of his players is for sale at this time.
II would not dare to sell one of the
players while the season is on" said
Berry last night. IF, by any chance,
the team should slump in it's playing
after the sale, the fans would run me
out of town and the game would be
ruined. am unwilling to take any
chances of being ridden out of beautiful
Los Angeles on a rail by the angry
fans, and there would be no argument
with them If l should sell the contract
on Gray and the team should lose the
pennant.
'Tt will be time enough to talk sales
and trades after the season Is finished
and the rag is safely held by the An
gels Dolly will finish the season with
us and If he wants to go higher up
afterward will not stand In the way,
but 1t must be distinctly understood
that none of the boys are for sale now,
and Gray will probably be the only one
to be sold after the close of the season.
Only because feel that 1t is due him
that he be given chance to promote
himself would consider an offer for
his contract at the close of the season"
Inspects Venice Park
Nothing of a definite nature has de-
veloped in the proposition to play
Coast league games In Venice every
Sunday morning that the Angels are at
home, but Berry will go to the seaside
city early this morning to inspect the
new baseball park and inquire into con-
ditions in that vicinity. He conferred
with McCredie regarding game Tor
Venice next Sunday morning, but II
was reported that the liamond at the
new park is9fn poor condition and ne
gotiations were stopped.
Berry will not abandon the plan, but
IL he finds the Venice diamond in the
poor condition reported he will confer
with Venice business men regarding
their part in getting the Sunday morn
ing games, to begin a week from Sum
day or after the Angels return from the
north in August. He still believes that
Venice will support a Coast league
team, ana Is Oh the OpliliOi that a lew
games in the closing weeks of this sea-
son would be sufficient to prove the
correctness of his theory.
Play Postponed Games
1t would he necessary to secure the
consent of other Coast league teams
before Berry could carry out his plans
for giving the Venetians taste OF
league ball. as planned. The schedule
calls for regular games to be played
upon specified dates in Los Angelo i,
and only postponed games could be
playede In Venice and these must be
transferred with the consent of the OPP
posing club. McCredie Is inclined to
insist upon the Angels playing in Part
land ali games scheduled for the Port
land diamond, but If the fans of Ven
ice want these games this season Berry
Is confident he can secure the transfer
of a sufficient number of games with
each team to enable him to play sun
day morning schedule in the seaside
city every Sunday morning in future
that the Angels are at home. Visiting
teams might insist upon a guarantee
of their part of the receipts, but II the
seaside fans show sufficient interest
in the proposition to convince Berry
that the teams would attract good pat
ronage there hardly will be any serious
difficulty in the way OF the plans
Hen wifi know more about 1t when ne
returns to Los Angeles this afternoon.