The Washington herald., 1919-01-18
Harry Kid Frazee from Beantow Ouoxes the Old Fox Big Deal
Transacted Among Trio Of Mogu Huge Baseball Meeting Gotham
Boston Magnate Introduces
New Theatrical Idea in
Ira ding in American
League, Getting Best of
Breaks with Nationals,
Cutting Loose Ainsmith
and Dumont.

New York. Jan. l7.-iarry H.
Frazee, the battling kid of the
American League, chased the old
setting hen off the china nest egg
at the baseball conferences today
and landed the talent necessary to
continue in the paths of world
championships. renown and for
tune.
This most enhancing of all base
ball conferences ever attempted
enhancing and enthralling, too,
because nobody for a minute could
keep track of what hotel the many
powwows were billed at-devel-
oped more talk and less real action
to the cubic inch than any kindred
farce comedy of baseball history.
But old Frazee. who had been de-
clared null and void by the big
boy who snaps the whip for the
American League puppets to dance
to, turned up with the real piece
de resistance of the mart, as Mr..
Dooley would say.
1t was well known that Clark
Griffith was looking about for real
players to bolster up the Nationals
for the coming campaign. but at
that Griffith was no different from
the rest of the owners and man
ayers, who were putting their heads
together to see what they could
land.
Then along came the grand mogul
of the Hub town with three
COrnered deal up his sleeve that de-
pended first on satisfying Griffith.
The result was a trade whereby
Griffith turned over Catcher Eddie
Ainsmith and Pitcher Dumont. So
curing the services OF Second Base
man Janvrin for the Nationals, ana
a few empty dollars.
Frazee then turned about and
traded Ainsmith. Pitcher Slim Love
and Outfielder Shorten to Detroit.
grabbing in exchange real live
third basemansin the person of Oscar
Witt.
Third base was the one crying
weakness OF the champions of the
world. and with this gap plugged
and the other available material at
hand. the battling kid who~ intro
duCed melodrama into the National
profession stands good chance Of
cutting up some richer world series
spoils in this year of grace than
which fell to his mill in last years
tiascO as chief pOohbah of the cele-
bratcd frolic.
There were a thousand of other
trades, more or less broaChed. repu-
dated and spuTned. Little Miller
Ruggins. of the Charlie Chaplin gait,
was somewhat hopeful of landing
Outfielder Robby Roth: of the Cleve-
land club. as this edition hurtled
to press. Hopeful. but that was all
Bobby turned down a few sugges-
tions fro& Hugg in one breath, then
showed disposition to recant. He
may order his letters forwarded to
a Manhattan address before he Is a
year older.
htAt wei dllllOSA clS many
ings today as there were delegates
great and small. to-the peace con-
ventiOn. One grasps the significance
of this when it is realized that every
man interested in baseball. either
as promoter. player or fan. made
the trip to this Mecca this year. A
sense of humor was a fatal curse,
and that goes as it lies.
va no hng nHE1
writer's down and not a doggone
one of them did anything worth men,
tioning. The National League, in the
morning. got together in the Offices
of John A Heydler. the new pres
ident. They trieG to undo the shame
they confessed the day previously
when they announced the ratifica-
tion of a salary limit of sl1 900 a
month per club. They effected only
further confusion and ridicule with
the announcement that the aforemen-
toned limit had been thrown into
the discard and a new one recorded.
The new one is left to the psychic
powers of determination of the fan
If the National League ran to form
you can go and bet the old family
heirloom on the idea that the new
limit is seven rather than eleven
Somehow the National League has
always been strong for crap numbers.
The American League maGnates
concluded their spring business ses-
sion with a few fond handclasps
and exchanges of Bull Durham at the
Biltmore yesterday around high noon.
Col. Til Huston. lately returned from
the ware had to knock off for chow
when he heard the chimes of the
Metropolitan tower ring.