The Washington herald., 1919-08-05
Battle Over Carl Mays Will Go to Court-O Other Sports
Yanks' OwnerS Will Go
-. To Court for Player
Five American League
Clubs Support Execu-
tive-Serious Breach in
Ranks Foreseen.

hanks fOreSeen.
New York, Aug. 4.-Developments in
the American League insurrection to-
day indicated that the car of the or
ganized base bali is about to hang
the pasteboard crown on the rack and
exchange his scepter for a seidel of
some other implement of peace and
democracy.
The most significant DEVELOPMENT
was the calling of of the meeting of
the board of directors of the Ameri-
can eague. This had been set for
tomorrow.
Harry H. Frazee, owner Of the Bos-
ton Red Sox, arrived in New York late
tonight with kilograms, affidavfts and
! other evidence to show that five clubs
in the American League had been
batering with him to get Carl Mays,
I the pitcher whose indefinite suspension
by johnson was the cause of the war.
At the Yankee offices Business Man
ager Harry Sparrow of the Yankees
announced that the club had started
the legal machinery to restrain Ban
johnson from interfering with the af-
fairsn OF the New York, America
League, club.
Ban Remains silent.
For the first time since he assumed
the dictatorship of organized base
pail Ban johnson remained silent for
tWenty-four hours. He banished no.
body unless the manner in which he
concealed himself MIRO the gaze and
inquiries Of the vulgar might be con
| sldered as self Punishment
In behalf Of the Yankees Col. Hus-
I ton issued the following statement
which seems to epitomize the real
cause of the fight: The trouble is
( fundamental. We believe that the
. president of the American league is
. interested in the Cleveland club. We
are not going to attempt to prove this
but that is our belief and we believe
it is the conviction of every club in
the American league. Until this car
| buncle is removed there can be no
health in our league"
The calling off of the meeting of
the American league magnates was,
perhaps the most significant develop
| ment of the day. The inference is
| that the call for the meeting was n
/ bluff. 1t is believed that the Gear"
! was unable to get five club owners
]
that they had protested against Mays
! playing with the Yankees.
COmiskey After Mays.
! 1t is the contention of Col. Jacob
! Rupert and Col. Huston that the
] suspension of Mays was a blow aimed
/ directly at the pennant chances of
! the Yankees. They are preparing to
( show by the testimony which reached
/ them through Harry II. Frazee that
/ five clubs were making offers for
/ Mays while the Yankees were try
ing to get him and that Johnson
! was cOgniZant of this but did not act
until the Yankees won the trade
. Frazee is ready to produce a tele-
{ gram from Charles Comiskey. owner
. Of the White Sox in which $40, 90
was offered for Mays. Detroit at
tempted to make a dicker through
Manager Barrow of the Red Sox.
BObbie Quinn of St. Louis had made
an offer and afterward admitted that
he had tried to get Mays for his club.
Cleveland, the club in which Ban
Johnson is said to be interested, Of
fered Pitcher Morton and Kloepfer
and Outfeldcr Smith in exchange for
Mays
1t hardly would be consistent, then.
for these magnates to meet and deny
that the Yankees had a right to play
: Mays when they had bargained des-
perately to get the underhand pitcher
themselves. which leads to the be-
lief that the "czar'' has lost further
power over the league which he
used to rule with an iron hand and
much loose conversation.
Up to Ban b.
A ruling by these magnates to up
hold the indefinite suspension of
Mays would seem like a Gi~rct ad
mission of enmity to New York. 1t
would he the rankest kind of sports
manship. Evidently il was some
thing that made the magnates balk
The disposition seems to be to let
the car pull his own chestnuts out
1 of the fire. He put them in. Not
even a whisper was forthcoming from
| the fallen Czar today. The loquatious
magnate was reported "out" all day
/ by a few of his local employees.
/ Report had it that the dethroned
monarch was preparing to smuggle
himself out of the Metropolis in an
effort to evade subpoena servers in
connection with the legal proceedings
which Coils. Rupert and Huston
seem to institute against him. It's
the first time in the memory of the
oldest inhabitant that Ban Johnson
could not be interv ewed.
} 1t was intimated by Johnson that
this meeting which was called off.
might be a whitewashing committee
for Mays That much was gathered
bv Coils. Rupert and Huston in their
talk with johnson Sunday. But the
owners Of the Yanks were tired of the
comic opera czar.sm that has been
making their league a Joke, and they
threw down the gauntlet to Johnson.
There were a couple of verbal horse
shoes in the gauntlet, too. Just what
turn the legal proceedings may take
they do not care to say just now. They
might attempt to put Mays in the box
and in the event that Johnson ordered
his umpires not to permit him to play.
they might institute a suit or they
could apply directly for an injunction
restraining the "czar" from interfer-
ing in the affairs of the New York
Baseball Club. Tomorrow probably
will reveal just what turn the legal
proceedings will take.
Trade Goes Through.
Mays had Joined the Yankee Club.
The players and the purchase money
have been turned over to Frazee.
Mays will be in uniform and on the
! field when the Yankees meet St.
| Louis at the Polo Grounds tomorrow.
Whether or not the "czar' will &C