The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-11
Ban Johnson Is in Sixth City to
Assist in Sale and Announce
ment Of Contamination Is
Expected Hourly.
clark Griffith Goes to Char
IOttesviIIe to Arrange For
Training Of Club There in
March. +,
By LOUIS A. BOUCHER.

Four bidders are seeking to pur-
chase the Cleveland Club from
Charlie Somers and, with Ban John
son on the job in the Sixth City to-
day, some official announcement is
expected to be made shortly. The
bankers committee, headed by A. v.
Cannon and George P. Steele, has
failed to find Cleveland capital suf-
ficient to keep the ownership a local
affair, and so Ban Johnson is ex-
pected to let an outsider into the
deal. Here are the bidders:
Edward Gwinner. Pittsburgh street
railroad magnate, and his partner, c. B.
Comstock.
Harry Sinclair, oklohoma, oil man
and purse of the defunct Federal
League.
Jake stahl, former player and man
ager of the Nationals and the worlds
champion Red Sox, with Robert G.
McRoy, associated in the ownership
OF the Red sox in 1912. with Jimmy Nc
c. ]. McDiarmid, of Cincinnati, and
John E. Bruce, secretary of the Ma
tional Commission, both owned stock in
the st. Louis Browns.
on the way. and this has speeded up
Ban johnson to settle the Cleveland
difficulties in order that a manager
might be appointed in time to bring
about necessary changes and to make
plans for the campaign.
Manager Clark c. Griffith is today in
Charlottesville. searching for quarters
suitable to his club for the coming
training season. He has been refused
use of the house sheltering his athletes
Tor the past three years. and will look
AT two other sites If they do not hll
requirements. he will consider taking
his club farther South. though he pre-
ters Charlottesville.
Columbus. Ga; Macon. Ca: San An
tonic. Tex: Athens. Ga: Raleigh. N. c.;
savannah; Ga. and HattiesburR. Miss.
have made hattering offers to the Old
FOX. He Is inclined to look with most
favor upon Columbus and Raleigh
though he has seen neither place.
That waivers must be obtained IN all
FEDERAL Leaguers now identified with
major league teams is shown by the
eeKlnG Tor waivers by Fielder Jones on
i T hSi OF his big SQUAD Manager
Joe Tinker has also asked for waivers
on big bunch he considers useless TO
MIN In 1916 and the great scramble for
plaxers VIII be on within a few DAYS.
Potn Jones and Tinker are said to pre-
fer Federal I.eaguers on their teams
ana so many big league PLAYERS will be
on the market and available for all
other teams In the circuits willing to
give them a chance.
Those Federal League players whose
contracts ended last Octob ar are now
hWuSng around, looking for Jobs. Bill
hsnWortny' who received a short trial
Win the Gritfmen, has written to Field
er Jones, asking for a cnance to play
WIN the Browns. but will hardly get
~ az as Jones now has fifty-n'ne PLAYERS
the Red Sox and last year with the
Pitueds, has applied for a Job as man
ager or the Worcester club in the New
England League.
Here are words of wisdom from Wal
ter Trumbull In the New York World
They should be read by magnates ev-
erywhere. -
Newspaper men are mighty sorry 10
see Jim Gaffney get out of baseball
CARNEY was one of the frat to intro
duce business methods in The handling
OF the game off the field. He never
could see the need for the solemn my S.
terry which used to attend all the meet.
ings Of the league
"He never felt obliged to see his law
yer ana examine number Cf court de-
cisions before answering any fair Ques-
tion Moreover, when he replied he
told the truth. This was an awful
shock to some of his associates.
He handled a ball club Just as he
would any other business proposition
and he was one of those mainly respon,
sible for the end of the baseball war
and the coming OF peace. AS far as
the ma tional game is concerned Gaffney
has left fine record behind him.
-
Tomorrow the sO-called reace COM
mittee, composed of the National Com
mission, Feds and the mead Of the In
ternational League, is due to meet in
New York. Ed Barrow, president Of
the International League, announces
that he will not be at the meeting. lie
has resigned from the committee, be-
lieving that his league Is about to be
made a goat" -