Evening star., 1930-06-28
RETURN TO GAMES
OLD TROUBLE SEEN
Phil Balls Opposition to
Lands and Friendship
for Ban Blamed.
BY JOHN B. FOSTER.

n EW YORK, June 28.-Con-
~ Servative base ball men
Y are irritated by the action
of the Milwaukee club in
bringing the case of the player
Fred Bennett into court this
week by seeking an injunction
against Commissioner Lands.
The Milwaukee club brought its action
against the commissioner to halt the
transfer of the first baseman back to
the St. Louis Browns, from whom 1t
had gotten him on option for two
years. Lands ordered the Browns
either to take Bennett back, waive its
option to another major league club or
release Bennett outright. This Is the
first attack on Lands authority since
he took Office after the 1880 Chicago
BLACK S0x" scandal.
Hickey Annoyed.
President Hickey Of the American
Association, to which the Milwaukee
club belongs, is distressed in mind and
perturbed in spirit. He has been one
of the most loyal supporters of the
Lands administration in the minor
leagues. That his organization should
be foremost in attacking the disposition
of players services by the head of
organized base ball is painfully
annoying.
The beginning of court proceedings
in base ball is a return to the old days
when the 1ignting between the major
leagues and the lesser fighting among the
minor leagues divided base ball into par
tiSan camps. 1t developed spirit Of Bit
ter antagoniSm between the National
League and the American League which
was intensified when Ban johnson,
president of the American League. held
up the election of chairman OF the
national commission because he could
not have his way
One OF the principal supporters of
Johnson was Phil Ball, part owner of
the st. Louis American League Club and
said to be interested in the affairs of
the Milwaukee club. He has not always
been in sympathy with Judge Lands
Interpretation of base ball law and his
rulings in regard to players.
Loyal to the Last.
Ball was a Johnson backer to the last
ana. while he accepted the readjust-
ment of base ball affairs at Chicago
some years ago, he did it because he
was forced to it, and not because he
had lost confidence in johnson or
wished for any change. Later. when
johnson was In trouble with his own
league, Ball was one owner to whom
the American League president could
look for support when the Eastern own
ers had decided there must be change
in the administration of affairs.
Nothing was more desired when
Lands was elected to Office than the
withdrawal of base ball matters from
the courts and the acknowledgment OF
supreme authority in the affairs of Ghe
national game by which all leagues
would abide.
The major leagues pledged them
selves to this and the minor leagues
gave acquiescence to everything that
the majors had done 1t is a minor
club that has first kicked over and a
club that is owned by one man who
was a johnson man at heart.
Major league owners whose holdings
have increased in value under the
Lands administration are angered at
what the Milwaukee club has done and
some of them have intimated, in fact,
that they would be willing to see the
Milwaukee club indefinitely suspended
from base ball Some of them intimate
that Ball is being badly advised and
has been badly advised for the last
year.