The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-09
Magnates Are Backing
 Landis I'm Controversy
Johnson To Be Under Fire In Stormiest Of Win-
 ter Baseball Sessions
By WESTBROOK PEGLER United News Staff Correspondent

Dy w | DoAA1As
 United News Staff Correspondent
 NEW YORK, Dec. S.-Although the mid-winter deliberations of the men who own the major league ball clubs ordl- narily mean nothing at all to the man who takes his baseball in occasional doses at $1 dose, the impending con gress of the National and American leagues in New York is likely to provide some jolly entertainment to break the monotony of the in-between season. The old ponderous resolutions, aboundlng Ill blah and references to the integrity of the national game" as the club owners like to call their business enterprise, will be repeated as usual in all their unimaginative dullness, but there will be the makings of three very amusing fights, all of them featuring Ban B. Johnson, president of the American league, and, in his serious moments, one of the most amusing public figures in the country.
 There will be the fight between John son and the directors of the Pacific coast league who have dallied in New York instead of going straight home from the minor league convention last week at Hartford, Conn.,, in order to
  situations that gambling was rife in the coast league last summer.
 Johnson Vs. Owners There will be another between John son and the major league club owners who wish to rebuke him for loud public criticism of Judge Landis' official con duct, Johnson being one of the signers of the famous club-owners' oath wherein they promise not to speak their opinions of one another but to maintain an out ward front of amity and mutual .admira- tion.
 And then there will be the main event, the starred final bout, for the cham pionship of organized baseball, be- tween Landis and Johnson.
 All these encounters will be fought under strict D. A.. k. rules, the contest ants being limited to verbal hair pulling and whisker-tweaking, but in the course of the strife the customers of baseball may learn some candid truths.
 Hurl Resolution
 Harry Williams, president of the coast league, and Gal Ewing of the Oakland club, will loiter around and attempt to swat MT. Johnson with a resolution. They took up strong posi- tions on leather couch in Peacock alley Monday intending to demand a certificate of purity from Johnson when the American league meets Wednesday. But Williams admitted in tone of voice that spoke the bafflement of the coast league, that they had no standing before the American league meeting and would have to depend on some kindly disposed member of the American league board to bring up officially the matter of Johnson's allegations.
 The American league club owners who last week were reported to have tired of the Landis administration are now said to be ready to give him a vote of confidence which would be a sort oi lebuke to Johnson, their own president , Johnson is used to rebukes, of course but this would be the severest of all. ] Dodge Crookedness The question whether baseball is still as crooked today as it was three years ago, less so or more so, probably will be dodged as nobody has yet signified any intention of demanding the details of the Dolan-O'Connell case within the New ; York Giants last fall. Landis' disposi ton of the case left the country strewn with suspicious that not all the crooks had been discovered and he even ad mitted that the investigation was not at an end.
 However, it is impossible to anticipate what will happen, for the magnates have tendency to huddle together and whisper instead of telling the truth out | loud when scandal touches their busi f ness.
 All of the major league magnates are here now or will have arrived by the time the sessions start with the ex ception of Wilbert Robinson, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who is sicl in Baltimore. Almost all of them neet . players and not many of them have any } players to offer in trade.
 , Senators In Need Stanley Harris, manager of tht Washington Senators, needs some re } serve infield material to strengthen { club which had to use an outfielder a third base during the last world series when Roger Peckinpaugh was hurt ant removed. He will also need a first class pitcher to take the place of Wal ter Johnson if the serious Scandiaviar quits the team. The Yankees need { new pitcher, catcher and shortstop and Ty Cobb, resting his weary pomer anians in an easy chair along Peacocl alley, admitted that he had warrants fol good shortstop and second baseman
 The Giants claim to be standing pa on their 1924 team. but they have al extra first baseman and are in posi- tion to make a good trade, as they neeC catcher. The Reds need a first base man to take the place of the late Jak Daubert and the Boston Red Sox ant Braves each need a new ball club.
 The meetings will not end unti Thursday