New Britain herald., 1926-12-24
COBB AND SPEAKER WANT REGENERATION
Accused Baseball Players Ask
 Chance to Face Leonard

1 or DaSeDdIl lnrlStllaS scandal smouldered today. Baseball's mas ! tors are content 10 let 1t go out The l fire victims-Ty Cobb and Iris i Speaker-also want the blaze ex- i tinguished, but complete exoneration
 is the only eXtinguisher they want l used.
 Both Cobb and Speaker, generally rated as the two greatest players of
 modern baseball, continue their pleas for a chance to face the man who started the fire-H. B. Dutch) i Leonard, former Tiger pitcher.
 Leonard, the recipient Of letters | from Cobb and Joe Wood, once Cleveland pitcher. continues non
 commital regarding the charges i linking the names Of Cobb and l Speaker with a game between Cleve-
 land and Detroit September 25, 1919. l which he said was fixed for Detroit
 to win.
 | Let the baseball authorities do the talking" Leonard said at his ! IiIItll near r ItSID, Ndl. " lltl tUb
 time comes. I'll issue a statement" ! Meanwhile there are rumblings
 that presagc counter charges from Cobb's friends. Cobb, home In Augusta, Ga, said American league officials were equally guilty" with Leonard in this rotten business" be-
 cause they paid s20,00o to keep the
 details of his story from leaking
 out The reference is to the price
 reported to have been paid Leonard for letters written by Cobb and Wood
 which form the basis of the charges
 on which Cobb and Speaker are link ed with the questioned game.
 Departure of Cobb from baseball under a cloud after 22 years during which he established more records than any other player has revealed the existence as long as year ago of a rupture between Cobb and Frank Navin, president of the De- troit Tigers
 Cobb, it now is revealed, was slated for removal as manager of the Tigers at the end of the 1925 l season. The blow was checked. how | ever, by a great civic testimonial l banquet tendered Cobb in recogni- | ton of the part he played in spread l ing the name of Detroit throughout | the land The affair was sponsored l by Mayor John W. Smith, who also | presented to Cobb as a gift from the i city s1,000 hall clock. Navin, Pres | league, and Connie Mack. manager i of the Philadelphia Athletics were | high figures of the game who at tended, and it was at this event that | Navin presented Cobb with a check | for s10,000 which he said was in recognition of Cobb's contribution 10 the success of the Detroit baseball | club.
 Cobb. now that his integrity has been questioned, has charged that the Sl0,o00 was not gift, but act ually a part of his salary.
 The financial success of the De- troit ball club has been marked dur ing Navin's regime as president and Cobb's years as player. Navin in past years has let it be understood that he attributed much of the popularity of baseball in Detroit to Ty Cobb and that Cobb. therefore. could stay on the Tiger payroll as long as he wish ed
 Expressions of confidence in Cobb and speaker continued to come from many sources. Among the latest was Il resolution passed by the Philadel- phia sports writers association.
 At Augusta. Ga. citizens went ahead with plans for testimonial for their fellow w-townsman.
 Joe Wood told his story yesterday 10 Burnside Winslow. chairman of the baseball committee Of the Yale athletic association by whom Wood is employed as coach. but no state ment of tho university's attitude was made known. Wood told Winslow he had never bet on q liked" ball game in his life.
 Ran Johnson said hn did not think this unfortunate affair." would have any effect on the American league fortunes next year when new man lcers will pilot the teams Cobb and Speaker led during 1926.