Evening star., 1917-10-17
AALEAGUE MERGER
STORY IS REVIVED
Teams in International and
Association Involved-Why
'Huggins Is Slated for Yanks.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

Stories to the effect that a new base
ball league will be formed. embracing
four cities from the International
League and four from the American
Association. have been revived follow
the world series games. The latest
report is from Indianapolis. one of the
cities that would be effected by the
proposed reorganization and merger.
man high in the councils of or
ganized base balr' being given as au-
thority for 1t.
The cities mentioned as likely to
comprise the proposed new circuit are
Indianapolis, Toledo, Columbus and
Louisville of the American Association
and Baltimore, Newark. Buffalo and To-
ronto Of the International League. Ac-
cording to report. six of the owners of
teams slated to make up the new
league met in New York last week
and practically agreed upon plans for
its formation, but had to defer or
ganization in order to consider how
two leagues affected which will be left
without berths could be satisfied. This
phase of the situation will require con-
siderable thought on the part of the
promoters Of the new circuit. as it is
a foregone conclusion that Mike Can
ti1lon and the other owners who will
be left out in the cold will not be
sidetracked without putting up an in
teresting fight.
Despite the reiterated denials by
Owners Huston and Rupert of the
Yankees that Bill Donovan would be
removed as manager of the New York
American League team, it now appears
that stories to that effect that ap-
peared from time to time this summer
were we'll founded, as information
I q n he CT flf n, If amt has
circulated to the effect that Miller Hug
gins, the aggressive and successful field
leader of the st. Louis Cardinals, posi-
lively will have charge Of the Yankees
in 1918. According to the information
obtained by w. j. McBeth, a well in
formed writer, Huggins will get Dono-
vans place as pilot of the Yankees. be-
cause Ban Johnson wills it so. In an
article in the New York Tribune today
he says the report is that Huggins is be
ing foisted upon Owner Rupert by Ban
Johnson and the American League, by
the same persons who have picked a
number of failures for the Yankees, in
cluding Garland Stahl and Frank
Chance, and who caused George STALL
ings to be ousted after he had built up
team of merit for New York.
Branch Rickevs desertion of Phil
Ball and the st. Louis Browns is held
to have peeved Johnson. and the ex-
ecutive's action in having affixed to an
American League contract the sigma
ture of Higgins. who was enjoying
great success with the st. Louis Ma
tional League team. is regarded as
measure to get even" with Hickey by
obtaining the services of the manager
of the team TO which Hickey trans
ferred his interests.
Higgins was said to originally have
been slated to succeed Lee Fohl in
Cleveland. but that the strong finish of
the Indians made Owner Dunn deter
mine to retain Fohl. whereupon 1t was
decided to make room for HugginS by
giving him Donovan's job in New York,
Higgins having refused to agree to a
transfer that would keep him in st.
Louis.
The situation in Boston, as viewed by
McBeth. is that President FraZee has
not been altogether satisfied with the
result of the race, and although he
failure of the Red Sox to beat out
Chicago he has determined. in case a
change must be made because of Barry
having enlisted in the Navy, to obtain
a man capable of injecting ginger in
the club. man such as Johnny Evers
Ira Thomas, mentioned as the prob
able successor of Huggins with the ST
Louis Cardinals, is a stanch friend Of
Branch Hickey and demonstrated ability
to get results from players while act
ing in the capacity of first lieutenant
to Connie Mack in the days when the
Athletics were winning pennants with
regularity.