Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-02
MEN WHO CONTROL BASEBALL
Ccontlnued from First Page)

base ball ~ an amusement venture, but
he has become one OF the strongest men
In the American league. Like shibe, he
has spent a large sum in improving his
plant and is well ahead OF the game i'm
81. Louis from a financial point OF view.
The Detroit club Is owned by Frank ].
Navin, who is the president, and a rich
lumber merchant named Thomas Yaw-
key. President Navin- is strictly, a base
ball fan. He has large business interests
In the west which occupy his time during
the winter months, but the summer he
devotes entirely to base ball. Yawkey
does not take an active interest in the
affairs Of the Detroit club, but he fol-
lows the doings OF jennings champions
closely. Navin was 40 enthusiastic when
the Tigers won the pennant In 1905 that
he gave TO the players a $4,000 Bonus, in
addition to their share of the worlds
series receipts. and last fall when they
captured the pennant again he raised sal
aries with extreme liberality.
John T. Brush, the reputed owner of the
New York Giants. has been Interested in
professional base ball off and on for
twenty years. He was Identified with a
clothing store in Indianapolis when he
became president Of the club in that Getty
and sold his players TO John b. Day Of
the New York club in 1880 for 100000. BY
a strange combination of circumstances
Brush got the Cincinnati club in 1891 for
absolutely nothing and he held on to it
for nearly ten years when he sold out to
Garry Hermann for about 500. 600.
Brush then purchased a controlling inter-
est in the New York club from Andrew
Freedman and with MeGraw at the head
Of the team he proceeded TO score a series
of phenomenal successes. In 1908 the
1 nt..4a e-H. Let tha rar,onN ~. a sFnulo
game, made 1926, 900 for Brush and his
partners, while last season. it is said,
nearly $1,000 was cleaned up at the
Polo grounds and on the road.
Charles II. Ebbets, president and chief
owner of the Brooklyn club. has made a
plucky uphill fight. He has been identi-
fled with the game for eighteen years.
He was engaged as a ticket seller by the
originators of the club, Byrne, Doyle and
Abel, when the Brooklyns began playing
at cid washington park. Fifth avenue and
Third street. Later he was appointed secre-
tRry OF the club and remained on the job
for q number of years, When the club
was consolidated with Baltimore nearly
ten years ago, Ebhets owned 10 per cent
Of the stock. In Che course Of time he
secured sufficient backing to purchase
more than 40 per cent Of the stock from
I the tate Harry Won DER f1OISI Oh bdtNlHOINg
thereby putting Edward Hanlon and Abel
in the minority. He elected himself presi-
dent at a fat salary. but the club was
quickly involved in litigation. Ebbets then
dug up another bank roll and bought out
Abel and Hanlon and today he is tho
main guy across the bridge. Ebbets has
no other occupation at present, but he has
been a member of the assembly and Board
Of Aldermen.
John p. Harris. a Pittsburg theatrical
man, is supposed to be the owner OF the
Boston Nationals, once controlled by the.
famous triumvirate, Soden, Billings and
Covant. When the latter decided TO sell
out several years ago the late George b.
Dewey and his brother, John, now presi-
dent Of the organization, were the sup
posed purchasers, backed by Barney ORGY
fuss. At least they said that Dreyfuss got
some friends, including Harris, to help
them. The Doveys were Identified with a
street railway II st. Louis in previous
years and when George b. died the real
owner OF the club became known.
Horace Fogel, the new president and
controller of the Philadelphia club, has
been, in the game for nearly thirty years.
He was manager of the indianapolis team
in 1889 and later handled the Giants for a
short time in 1896. At other times he was
a newspaper writer in Philadelphia and
was busy scribbling when a month ago
the chance was offered to get hold OF the
ouakers. Fogel got somebody to put up
$3.50 600 for the club and the players and
$780, 200 for the ball park. 1t was said at
the tim, that the money was supplied by
Charles p. Taft Of Cincinnati. but Fogel
has denied this emphatically and has
named several wealthy Philadelphians as
his hackers. 1t Is believed that K. F. Albee
and Percy G.. Williams, we'll known theat-
rical managers, have a piece Of the elup'
as the secretary and treasurer of the con-
Germ is Morris Scheck, who is idenufled
with them in the show business.
The rise of C. w. Murphy, owner OF the
Chicago Cubs, has been remarkable. Mur-
ply was writing base ball FOR the Clnclh-
natl Inquirer when Brush bought the New
York club. He came here With Brush as a
az ri of press agent, but was soon released.
shortly after that when John r Walsh
the Chicago banker, failed. Murphy got a
tin that the Chicago club. controlled by
walsh. was on the market. He hurried
over to Cincinnati and hunted up Charles
p. Taft. He told Mr.. Taft that he wanted
TO swing the deal. He got the money with
out a shoestring, grabbed the Cubs who
proceeded to win the worlds champion
ship the following season. The Chicago
club cleaned up s1es, 900 in profits on that
campaign, and Murphy promptly returned
the money he had borrowed from Mr.
raft. Since then Murphy has had all kinds
OF luck. He says he has 100000. all his
own, and is planning to build a great plant
IN the Windy City. Murphy does not deny
that he was a soda water clerk In a Gin
oinnati drug store twenty years ago. In
fact. he takes pride in telling the tale.
Garry Hermann, the owner OF the Reds
, and chairman OF the National commission
has been mixed up in Cincinnati politics
, for many years, He has been the right
hand man of Boss Cox and has made
money easily. Hermann went into base
ball for the fun OF the thing but he has
never made much money. After paying
more than 500, 900 for the Cincinnati club
ne was induced TO put money into the
philadelphia club at a heavy loss, lie has
B spent nearly $4,000 for new players, and
; next year he thinks Clark Griffith his
manager. will have q money making VIM
i ner. Hermann Ia a candidate for exalted
8 ruler OF the Elks, and at one time he was
president Of the American Bowling con-
gress. He is a real sportsman, a shrewd
base bali politician and is highly regarded
~. hasa haV man IN general