Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-22
NEW YORK BALL
CLUB REPORTED
To Be ON SALE

\ JEW YORK, June 21.-The New
~ York National League Club is
on the market. Rumors that the
Giants were to be sold have been rife
for some time. It can now be said,
upon the best of authority, that the
club Will change hands before the
present season comes TO a close.
Harry Hampstead. the president OF
the club, is the representative of the
Brush interests in the club, which
holds a majority of the stock. Hemp
stead IS said to be willing to sell out
If he gets his. price. What price has
been put on the club is not known.
The New York Club has a thirty
five years lease on the Polo Grounds
and, as the club has been a wonder
full mOneymaker ever since MCGraw
was made the mana ger Of the Giants
It would not be at all surprising il
price of S1O0O000 was asked. The
last few seasons the Giants are re-
ported to have cleaned up an average
Of 100000 a season for their owners.
Harry Hampstead. the president of
the club, is a sOn-in-laW of the late
John r. Brush. Until assuming his
present position he had no connection
with baseball 1t is now said that
the heirs of Brush are anxious to dis
pose of their holdings and Harry
himself is not averse to getting out
Cf baseball
IT has always been said that if the
Giants were sold. Manager MCGraW
would be given a chance to raise
enough money TO buy in the club.
There is not a question but what the
New York Club, as it stands to-day,
is one of the best business PROPOSE
tions in the land. However, if Nc
Graw hopes to cut in as the owner
he win have TO hustle a lot to avoid
some one getting i'm ahead Of him.
1t would not be at all surprising II
Harry Stevens the well-known cater
en- was the new owner of the Giants
with NcGraw posing as the ostensible
owner Harry has been trying for
number of years to get a hold OF
some good big league club.
He made a number of offers to
President Ebbets for a slice of the
Brooklyn clubs stock. In fact, be-
fore Ebbets built Ebbets Field Stew
ems offered to builG the park for Eb-
bets without it costing Ebbets cent
provided he was given a substantial
holding i'm the clubs stock.
DERCY WILLIAMS, Of theatrical
fama is another who a short time
ago was anxious TO get into baseball
Williams made an offer for the Brook
lyn Club but Ebbets turned down
his proposition That was the time
the Brooklyn team was going bad and
Ebbets was simply flooded with Of
fers to buy out his holdings.
TTNTIL John T. Brush came to New
\ York. the majority of the stock
i'm the New York club was owned by
Andrew Freedman and Richard Gro
ker But. under Freedman the club
was a big loser. so that Brush got
the controlling interest in the club
rather easily.
Whether Freedman and Croker are
still stockholders is a mystery. II is
likely that they hold some stock. but
not enough to give them a controlling
interest.
Thai Freedman and Croker did hold
considerable stock up to a few years
ago, at least was made plain when
IL was reported that the late Fred
Knowles then the secretary Of the
club was to be let out. Knowles
was always looked upon as the rep
resentative Of the Freedman Croker
interests in the club after Freedman
had stepped down from the presi
dency
When the report went the rounds
that Knowles was to he forced out,
Fred took a hurried trip down to
Florida, where Freedman and Croker
were then soiOurning. with the result
that Fred did not lose his job. 1t was
said at the time that this proved that
Freedman and Croker still held a big
part of the clubs stock.
CINCE the death Of Knowles. John
- Whalen. one Of the big men in