Evening times-Republican., 1920-10-01
LiDe Sports NeDs and Comment
Ball Magnates,
Players Urged
to Come Clean
[By Norman E. Brown.

Eight members of the famous Chi
cago White Sox ball club are under
indictment charged with conspiracy
| to throw the last worlds series.
TWO or tho men, who, before the
truth became known. stood out MS
two Of the greatest players in tho
! game. have confessed their guilt.
| They have implicated others.
The indictments have stirred yxp
rumors regarding the sudden relea5-
Ing of ployers in the past season OF
! two under peculiar circumstances.
The action of the Chicago grand
| jury and the other scandals brought
forth thereby have left baseball stag
sering-tighting for its life.
The one great sport that has been
kept clean and above board has been
placed under cloud that threatens
| to smother it.
And unles all the men behind the
game come to bat with all the know
ledge at their command
Unless the honest players In the
same pinch hit for the sport
The bali parks may just as we'll be
closed up next year.
Pitiles publicity regarding all facts
and rnmors concerning alleged crook
ed players and fixed" games is the
only thing that will save the sport.
Owner Comiskey of the White Sox
has taken the right stand He has
laid all the facts ut his command be-
fore the Jury. He knew he was
wrecking his ball club. but is big
enough to realize there is but one
way way to save the game-clean It.
He can not turn the trick alone.
however. The other magnates must
come Clean, too. The white" play
ers who have knowledge Of their
teammates indiscretions or crooked
ness must step forward.
The time for belittling reports or
thrown games and bought" players
is past.
So Is the time for shielding crooked
Players for the good of the game"
So is the time for combining the in
vestigations OF crookedness to pri-
yate sleuthing by baseball officials
or private detectives hired by the
clubs.
So. also. Isl the time for simply re-
leasing guilty or suspected players
without stating the real cause Of
their departure,
1t Is up to the baseball magnates
and square players to lay their cards
on the table before the public.
For about a year we had heard re-
ports that the 1919 worlds series was
not on the level-that some of the
White..Sox players threw" the series
and got pay for SO doing. Most ar
IDENTIFY did the baseball heads deny
the rumors and try to hush discus.
sion in the papers regarding the re-
ports.
And now we read that eight menu
bers OF that White Sox team have
been Indicted by a duly SWORN grand
jury for ''cOnsplring TO do an Illegal
act"-in other words. for conspring
to fix the series These indictments
were returned without the complete
| testimony of the league and club Of
ficials And the jury promises more
startling news.
The list Of eight men does not COW
er the field Of players suspected OF
crooked work in the game. Some OF
these eight perhaps are innocent but
have vital testimony.
That some other star players who
have dropped out OF the blk leagues
in the last couple of seasons were al
| lowed to give business rensons and
salary differences" as the cause
when in fact they were really givon
| the cato because of their connection
! with gamblers has now been be-
| grudgingly admitted by the mogu,s
The indictments of these eight
men Is not the astounding thing
The fact that the magnates were
cognizant OF and covering up such
rotten conditions is the terrible par,
Of II all.
The cause OF the retIcence of the
majority Of club owners has beer
their greed-their fear that exposures
would wreck their teams and cut
down their gate receipts.
| In their blindness they couldn't see
the final blow-off coming-the ult!
mate expose that would shake the
game. Asa result of this short
siEhtodnouS the game is now on the
defensive and facing Anal knock
out,
The time has come for the mogula
to 'fess up. tell the millions OF fans
tho true state OF affairs and let the
bombs fall whore they may.
| The present muck must be cleared
up, Baseballs life will hang, In the
balance until the cleaning is oom-
pleted, And the best renovator ID
full publicity to all reports and
runors regarding players and Eanb-
lors suspected OF trying TO rnln the
sport,
One thlng IL going to happen be.
fore April Q1, Either baseball Is go-
ting to bo freed OF crooked playing
and taken out OF the clutches Of the
gamblers or 1t Is going to die.
Fans want to see it liVa.
L