Evening star., 1932-12-14
MAY 15 NEW LIMIT
! FOR PLAYER SHIFTS
No General Cuts in Salaries
or Prices of Admission.
HeydIer Reelected.
BY EDWARD ]. NEIL,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
n YEW YORK, December IA
I'M Now that the storm clouds
/ Y of economy have broken
over the annual major
league meetings-and diSgorged
just a faint, faint mist-the base
ball magnates assembled hustled
back today to their efforts to trade
broken-down athletes for healthy
citizens, with additional good
reasons for haste.
Next season the managers of the Ma
tional and American Leagues will have
barter period, during which they can
buy, sell, or swap their warriors back
and forth without asking waivers Of
the opposition clubs Of either circuit.
BY unanimous vote of the league
owners, meeting separately in the OPEN
ing sessions yesterday of the annual
three-day conclaye, the final date when
each playing roster must be pared to
% men was advanced from June Is to
May Is, without changing the player
limit, or including coaches among that
number.
Both Of these moves, in the name Of
economy, had been discussed vigorously
before the meetings began, but when
the cigar smoke cleared after hours of
argument, things remained pretty much
as the magnates found them.
MO resolution was passed in either
IN league, for instance, moving toward
cheaper prices for tickets, for the
scaling down Of players wages in gen.
eral or Kenesaw M. Lands S65,000
salary, in particular, for change in
the present system OF distributing Wofio
series pasteboards only in sets OF three,
or for an increase in the number OF
cheap bleacher seats.
Instead the club owners decided TO
Let each man put into effect his own
scheme for retrenchment in the man.
ner best suited to his individual prob
lens, making economies, shaving over
head, wherever possible.
To this end John A. Heydler, re-
elected president for another four-year
term in the course Of his 80 years with
the National League, voluntarily re-
duced his own salary and pledged other
economies in the management OF the
leagues affairs.
out of the meetings, where host OF
drastic propositions had been expected,
actually came only two for final dis
cussion at the joint meeting OF the
owners tomorrow. One was the PROB
lem of radio broadcasting, upon whlcn
no action can be taken because OF con-
ficting opinions among the league
owners, and the other Is the snl1t IN
the PLAYER limit date already decided
upon unanimously and therefore no
subject for debate.
INFORMALLY the National League. in
i which the Chicago Cubs and Boston
Braves broadcast and Brooklyn sees
no objection, went on record to 3. as
opposed to broadcasting, practice that
some have maintained keeps the
citizenry away from the ball yards.
The American League owners, with
Chicago. Boston, Detroit and st. Louis
on the air all season. were divided, to
4, on the wisdom Of broadcasts. Neither
leagues nor magnates, however, cx-
pressed any desire to force their own
wills upon others, and the question VIII
provide little subject for debate Thurs
day.
The new player limit date strikes a
blow directly at the richer clubs, able
to maintain large rosters indefinitely.
and represents the sole major move on
the part OF the magEateS toWarA
economy.
Under the new rule, all clubs will
save a months salary for between 10
and 20 players, and the poorer clubs,
taking on the excess baggage OF the
bigger fellows a month earlier. are ex-
pected to develop stronger teams.
At the same time, the limit for un-
restricted trading without asking waiv-
ers automatically moves up along with
the advancement of the player limit,
forcing the heavier stocked organiza-
tions to deal faster, and as result
more cheaply. with their less fortunate
brethren.
WHILE the American League with
w held its figures for the season,
the National League announced
decline of 16 per cent in attendance
in 1882 in comparison with 1881. The
Cubs led in home attendance with 975,-
900 paid admissions, as compared with
the league record they set at 1,485, COO
in 1929 The New York Giants were
the best road club, attracting $50, ,000
| fans.
Brooklyn ranked second to Chicago
in home attendance with Boston, New
York, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, st. Louis
and Philadelphia following in that
order.
Two new sets Of league directors
were chosen. The National League
named Sidney We'll, Cincinnati; Samuel
Breadon, st. Louis; Gerald P. Nugent,
Philadelphia, and Stephen McKeever,
Brooklyn, while the American chose
Frank Navin, Detroit; Phil Ball, st.
Louis; Clark Grifith. Washington, and
Tom Shibe, Philadelphia.