Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-23
GRAY IS WANTED
IN BIG LEAGUES
BERRY AGREES TO LET HIM GO
ON CONDITIONS
HOSP, ELLIS AND CAKES ALSO
ARE DESIRED
Local Magnate Plans to Play Sunday
Morning Games in Venice to Test
Ability of Seaside City to
Support Team

1t is altogether probable that this will
be the last season for Dolly Gray In
the Coast league, as Hen Berry has re-
quests from several big league clubs for
price and option on Dolly, and mas
much as the crack twirler Is anxious
to break into major league society,
Berry says that it is probable that
Dolly will wind up his Coast league
career this season.
| Dolly is not for sale, but Berry be-
| lieves it is a duty he owes his players
to permit them to go higher up When-
ever the opportunity Is offered. He
saws that IL he sells Dolly that will end
| the selling business for him, as he does
not want to lose any player now on his
payroll that he can hold without IN
fiicting an injustice upon the player
Berry will not sell Gray unless he
can place him with a club that Will
have a chance to win the pennant next
year. He has offers from the New
York and Cleveland clubs for Dolly, and
as both clubs are at work trying to
get together a pennant-winning buncn
for 1909 one of them probably will land
the star twirler of the Coast league. A
letter from c. w. Somers, vice presi-
dent of the Cleveland team, was re-
ceived last night, in which Berry was
asked to figure with that club for two
outfielders and two pitchers and an
ontion was requested upon the sale of
contracts held on Enos Cakes and Dolly
Gray.
Players Not for Sale
Berry wishes it understood thorough
ly that none of his players Is for sale,
with the exception OF Gray. on n mo no
circumstances would Berry sell ms
contract upon Gray, except to aid ms
premier pitcher in going higher up,
where he can do better financially ana
otherwise. Berry is no Chris Won der
Abe and does not believe in the policy
of developing players for sale.
However, he has offers Tor mar
as Gray wants to go east after THIS
season, he probably will be the one 10
be sold. he will be slow in selling
GRAY. too, as IT is considered almost
as a certainty that attempts Will pc
made to draft three or four players
now on the Angel payroll and Berry
does not want to wreck his own team
for next season.
Cakes May Be Drafted
Cakes is attracting considerable at
tention from eastern magnates ana MS
strong fielding and batting game makes
II look very much as il he would be
try to get. He is playing major league
ball in a most consistent manner and
it was his stick work that won several
games on the northern trip that would
have been lost had another player been
less fortunate at the bat In critical
moments.
Ellis also is fancied in the east and
Berry has offers for his contract on
the Reuben from the arrangements of
the New York Americans and Chicago
White Sox. Ellis has developed into
a crack player and reliable and heavy
sticker and Berry believes he would
make good on a big league team.
Comiskey and Chance. the Chicago
rivals, are after Easterly for next year
and it is cinch that drafts will be
filed for this heavy hitting backstop by
these two clubs at least. Comiskey
also has notified Berry that he has
taken a strong liking to Hosp and II
the San Diego wonder maintains his
steady improvement throughout the
season he will be wanted by more than
one big league club. 1t is fortunate
however, that Berry can lose only one
player by draft. otherwise he would
be under the necessity of going into
the brush for an entire new team for
1909 Hen said last night that he could
sell $4,000 worth of players off the
Angel team right now If he should be
SO ulSpOSeu.
Sunday Games for Venice
If the plan meets with the approval
of Manager McCredie of the Portland
team Venice baseball fans will enter
tain the first pair of Coast league clubs
that ever played in the seaside city
next Sunday morning. Berry will con-
fer with McCredie this morning re-
garding the proposition Of playing off
one of the several postponed games
between the Angels and Beavers next
Sunday morning on the new Venice
diamond. If the Venice fans show any
sort of appreciation of the honor Sun
day morning games will be played
there regularly during the season when
the Angels are at home.
The plan will give Berry practical
test of the drawing powers of coast
league teams at Venice and in large