The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-22
FOUR MAJOR LEAGUE CLUBS CHANGED OWNERSHIP IN YEAR
Ruppert, Huston, Weegh- man and Others Become Noted Baseball Owners.
 Other Sport Notes

New York January N.-The announce ment made by Charles Weeghman that among his partners in the recently pur- chased and reorganized Chicago National League Baseball club are J. ogden Ar mour William Wrigley Jr.. in addition to one or two other unnamed business men of great wealth. calls attention to the entry of fresh millions of backing into the big leagues within the past year.
 Four major league clubs have changed ownership in little more than F months and in every case the buyers are men who have made large fortunes in other lines of business and to whom baseball will always be more of sport than dollars and cents proposition Yet these men have either made millions, or in- creased fortunes left to them by ances- tors, through shrewd business ability and up-to-date efficiency and they will nat urally expect that any ball club in which they have money invested will be con ducted along the same lines.
 It only requires d cursory glance at the list of the new club owners and the money they have invested and represent to realize that new era is dawning in big league baseball. A little more than a year ago Col Jacob Ruppert, Jr., and T. L. Huston paid about S4l00O0 for the New York National League club. The combined wealth of these two men is over $25, ,000,O00 and they have already demon strated that they are willing to spend big money to secure proper diamond talent as the recent purchase of Lee Magee, at a figure over $20,000, proves
 Following the Opace agreement between organized and independent baseball the Chicago Nationals and the St. Louis Americans changed hands. Weeghman was the moving figure In the purchase of the Cubs and it now develops that Ar mour, Wrigley and possibly one other cap- itaist are among the stockholders. Close to half a million was paid for the Cubs and the combined financial resources of the new owners is easily $75,000,000, so it can be seen that the Cubs will have ex- cellent backing in the future
 Phil Ball, Otto Stifel and J. w. Gar neau were the announced purchasers of the St Louis Americans and the price was given out as S525,000. At least one of the trio is understood to have the backing of a millionaire. so that it is safe to set down the rating of the new owners close to s5 50O0,O GOO. The sale of the Boston Ma tionals to Percy D. Haughton, Arthur c. Wise and others for about $500,000 brings another group or capltallstS ana Keen puS- mess men into baseball with resources placed at close to S30, GOO 900.
 Negotiations for the change of owner ship of two other big league clubs have been under way for sometime and while the outcome is problematical, both the New York Nationals and the Cleveland Americans may have new packers before the 1916 pennant season opens. The Cleve- land club is undergoing a financial re- construction and is on the market but to date the price set is considered too high by prospective investors. President Harry Hampstead of the New York Giants has set price for the sale of the club, but almost a quarter million dollars sep arate owners and bidders at this time.
 While Maurice E. Mclaughlin, the for mer national tennis champion, has not announced that he has abandoned tennis