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

TEW YORK, June 2l.-Ihe New
IN York National League Club is
on the market Rumors that the
Giants we're to be sold have been rife
for some time. 1t 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 wears lease on the Polo Grounds,
and, as the club has been a wonder
full moneymaker ever since McGraw
was made the manager of the Giants.
ii would not be at all surprising if a
price of 100000 was asked. The
last few seasons the Giants are re-
ported to have cleared up an average
of $1,000 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
If baseball.
IT has always been said that If the
/ Giants were sold Manager McCiraw'|
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 ii 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 will have to hustle lot to avoid
some one getting in ahead Of him.
1t would not be at all surprising if
Harry Stevens, the well-known cater
er was the new owner Of the Giants
with McGraw posing as the oStensihle
owner Harry has been trying for
number of years to get 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 build the park for Eb-
bets without it costing Ebbets a cent,
provided he was given a substantial
holding in the clubs stock
DERCY WILLIAMS, Of theatrical /
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 [
Fbbets was simply flooded with Of /
fers to buy out his holdings.
Until John T. Brush came to New /
- York the majority of the stock /
in the New York club was owned bS |
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, 1t is /
likely that they hold some stock, but |
not enough to give them controlling /
interest
That 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 be forced out, |
Fred took hurried trip down to |
Florida. where Freedman and Croker |
were then sojoVrning. 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 big |
part of the clubs stock.
CINCE the death of Knowles John |
- Whalen, one of the big men in |
Tammany Hall. has been quite prom |
inent in the affairs Of the New York |
club. For a while he was the treas
urer. It was said that Whalen con |
nection with the Giants was in the /
role Of representative of the Tam |
many Hall interests in the club.
THE New York National League |
L Club for the past half-dOzen years |
has been the biggest money maker |
ever known to baseball. In the lase |
two seasons the Giants have figured |
in on worlds series, the profits from |
these games alone. figuring close to |
$4,000 In 1908. the memorable sea . !
son when Merkle forgot to touch sec
ond, the club was reported to have |