Evening star., 1932-12-09
CAN SAVE LEAGUES
BY HONEST DEALING
Clubs Must Be Sincere In
Adherence to Rules or
Suffer Disaster.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

@OLUMBUS, Ohio, December
IL 9.-The National Associa-
" tion of Professional Base
Ball Clubs may be out of
the trenches by Christmas or
WhitSuntide at the latest. The
first meeting of the minor league
organization faded in a hurried
adjournment Wednesday and the
second session was productive of
little or nothing.
About the only thing accomplished by
the national association is the accept
| ance of a slate of officers for the next
year. The move to put back Mike Sex
ton of Rock Island, Ill, who for 80
years was president of the minor league
body, died quickly.
Judge w. G. Bramham of Durham,
| N. c., will be the next head of the or
ganization. He will be given powers
second In base ball only to those Of
| K. M. Lands, the high commissioner
and autocrat Of that sport.
A SIDE from selection of officials, the
IA result of this meeting, which was
presumed to be the one that would
decide the fate of minor league base
ball, will be that the various leagues
adopt the recommended economic meas
ures, designed by the Committee of
Five named to lead the organizations
out of the financial morass. Whether
| the leagues live up to the measures
| adopted Is another question.
The future Of minor league base ball
| Is going to return to the hands of the
/ individual club owners. If the rules of
the association are adhered to strictly,
the game may enjoy some prosperity.
but in the end its future will depend
upon the integrity of the individual
owner and the honesty Of his dealings
| with his associates.
| D EQUATIONS and rules may be
| n adopted along with severe pen
| alties, but each club must be sim
cere in adherence to the rules or they
will fail to help. The association is to
have an honest, capable and hard
working president in Judge Bramham.
To support him there will be an Ex-
ecutive Committee of three. This COM
mittee is to consist of Warren Giles,
| president OF the Rochester club of the
| International League; Alvin Gardner,
president of the Texas League, and Dale
|
Giles, representing the Class AA leagues,
will be elected for three years; Gardner.
| from the Class A, for two years, and
| Gear, who will be spokesman for the
lower classifications, will hold office for
| one year.
| COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 8 R).-
~ The most remedial meeting in the
history of minor league base bal
will come to close here today as dele
gates start toward the four corners ol
the country knowing they have don't
all that it is possible to do for
mighty sick patient.
For several days and nights the own
ers, presidents, managers and even the
players and umpires have suggested
| tended to place the pastime OF tbs
smaller circuits back to the health i
enjoyed a few years ago.
The final session Of the National AS.
sociation of Professional Leagues will
reach its climax with the naming OF 9
governing body, composed OF an exec.
utive committee, president. who viii
| have great power; treasurer, VICE
president and secretary.
Naming Of the executive COMMITTEES
|
one was to listen to the prognosticators
last night. On all hands the predic-
| ton was freely made that the COMMITTEES
would be composed Of Warran Giles
of the Rochester club Of the Inter
national League; J. Alvin Gardner
president of the Texas League, and Dale
Gear, president of the Western League
Those same Projectors were just as
positive that the presidency of the as
| sociation would be entrusted to Judge
w. G. Bramham of Durham, N. C..
with sufficient power to make him the
Judge Lands of minor league base
ball"
Yesterday the association made a
few amendments to the recommended
| tions of its committee of five" and
virtually passed all of the proposals,
with two exceptions.
These two, however, are considered
the most important of the 1ot-the fix
ing of salary limit in all classif1ca-
tions and the punishment for its viola
ton, and the posting of check or bond