, 1923-06-10
SALE OF YANKS
GIVES JOHNSON
LEAGUE CONTROL
Stepping Down Of Huston
Ends Long Fight.
BY I. z. SANBORN.

Unless something eventuates to pre-
vent completing tho purchase of the
Boston Red Sox. the deal for which
was closed recently. tho end of this
championship season viii see the re-
tirement of two thirds OF the American
league club owners whose fight against
a johnson made considerable his
tory a couple or three years ago
Col. Tirlinghast Huston. who has sold
his interests In the New York Yam.
KEGS to his partner. Col. Jacob Rup-
pert, started the fight against the
league executive to avoid losing the
immediate services of Carl Mays. the
grouchy submarine pitcher. whom Ban
johnson tried to punish for insubor
dinaton while with the Red Sox-
Harry Frazee. who had long been
looking for an opening TO attack the
head Of tho league, Joined hands with
Huston and they found an eager ally in
Charles A. Comiskey, the white Sox
veteran owner. who had been conduct
ing a solo revolution against Ban
johnson for the better part Of a dec-
ade-
w FfhttAh A-t1sdb~
II WIN be remembered that these
three went SO far as to threaten to
wreck the American league and join
hands with the National league in tho
formation OF a twelve-club organization
unless the other Az club owners. who
remained loyal to johnson, consented
to h appointment OF Kenesaw NJ.
lands as tho car Of organized base
hail Thov rarrfaA thntr ~1tnk .-A
succeeded in depriving johnson Of some
of the power he had welded as =
member OF the national commission I'M
der the chairmanship OF Garry Herr
mann.
Within three years of that date
Comiskey. II he lives, will be the only
n of the three rebels" left In the
American league and he practically 70
tired on account Of Ill health, over
a year ago.
Although shorn of some of his for
mer influence in h councils OF the
game, because OF the feeling i~nculcated
in Commissioner lands at the time Of
his appointment that he was expected
to look askanco at anything suggested
by the American league executive or
his loyal i've" a johnson appar.
emily still retains the power to con.
troll the affairs OF his own o-rganiza.
ton.
Col Rupert the present sole owner
Of tho Yankees, never was a bitter
partisan in the war against johnson,
although strongly opposed to any dis
ciplne OF Mays by the leagues head,
because the New York team was In a
had way for pitchers at tho time.
Friendly relations between johnson
and Rupert never were completely
severed during tho family war.
With h passing of Huston and
Frazce from the councils of the league
johnson will be able to count on the
support of seven clubs against one,
as has been the case for years when.
ever he IA proposed any measure for
the Improvement OF baseball Comis-
keys subordinates probably Will con-
tnue to play a harmless game OF soil.
taire In opposition
Probably most folks have forgotten
that the domestic row in the American.
league started over Carl Mays. II
really started long before that, Of
course. In the camps OF Conisxey and
Frazoe. but they were handicapped un.
I'll they got the help OF h powerful
New York club through Its half owner,
Col. Huston.
Mays Case Remembered.
Mays. It win be remembered, ,u,t
the Boston Red Sox cold during a
championship game in Chicago. His
act of characterization went unpun-
ished by the Boston club and Frazee
sold him to the Yankee outfit for a
goodly reward. Huston went into tho
courts to prevent any punishment be-
ing inflicted or Mays. He was sue
c%essful. but lived to be sorry he ever
eorraled the aggregation of tempera.
mental stars of which the Yankees
have been composed for the last two
or three years. Any star player with
whom other club owners or managers
could not get along seemed eventually
to gravitate to New York
And only last fall Huston wanted To
tie a can to Miller Higgins because rs
could not enforce discipline among a
bunch OF ~discontents whom older and
wiser managers had tried to control
and couldn't. Col. Rupert stuck by
Higgins and insisted on retaining him.
1t may be that. with the backing OF
the present sole owner. Higgins will
be able to make his men play for him
instead Of for themselves. Time will
tell.