The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-11-05


THE worst that can be said
Il against Mr. Heydler is that he
was willing to assume the role of
stuffed shirt in a soft job for ade-
quate pay. BY no other stretch of
the imagination can his name or
the names of any other recent
presidents of either major league
be linked with that of the late Ban
JohnsonS.
1t may be true that in his declin-
ing years Johnson became intoler-
able, but the history of baseball
must always record the fact that
he was the greatest single influence
that ever came to the game from a
swivel chair. When he was presi-
dent of the American League he was
the American League, he was a die
tator but an intelligent, progressive
dictator.
johnson was acute enough to
know that baseball belonged to the
people; he was even smarter than
that; he exercised every force at his
command to make the people feel
that BASEBALL was their game. This
was good business, good Snowman
ship. It worked out we'll both ways.
He improved the game and i'm
proved its relationship with the peo-
pie.
Practically all the reforms that
baseball has to its credit today can
be traced back to Johnson. And a
fine tribute to his energetic imag-
ination, and at the same time a sad
commentary on his followers, is the
fact that not one important innova-
ton has been introduced into the
sport since his death.
JOHNSON went to his grave fight
- ing for baseball. 1t was johnson
and nobody else who brought the
Black Sox scandal of 1919 out in the
open. This was at the time Judge
Kenesaw Mountain Lands had
moved into the executive setup of
baseball, thus minimizing the
powers of Johnson. Immediately,
selfish and vindictive reasons were
ascribed to his campaign for the
truth. It was said that he wanted
to embarrass Lands.
This wasn't so, but what if it was?
The truth should have been known.
The club owners of both leagues
would have much preferred that the
scandal be buried. Their reasoning
was that any such shocking dis
closures would rock the confidence
of the people, keep them away from
the parks and ultimately kill the
sport.
If the club owners in either major
league felt that way about similar
predicament today you can bet all
the doctors hats in medicine hat
there would be no public presenta-
ton of the details. The one or two
dissenters would be outvoted. John
sons idea was that baseball had
nothing to hide, that it was bigger
than one group of rascals, that an
open airing of dirty linen would in
the end be for the best.
THIS was just plain common
Z sense. 1t turned out, as it in
evitably would, that he was abso-
lutely right. Paradoxically the most
convincing proof of baseball's hon.
esty came through Johnson's deter
mination to reveal its most fragrant
illustration of dishonesty. 1t was at
once a sensible and gallant gesture
to prove to the people that baseball
fights for baseball.
At the time of which write john
son was old and feeble. Curiously
the scandal had no effect on the
gate. On the contrary the receipts
became greater and greater. Being
old and feeble, Johnson may have
rubbed his palms together, in graft
fication and murmur, Il knew was
right"
And of course he was. But these
big daring moves do not always
bring immediate results. At just
about this time Babe Ruth came
along with his magic bat to create
a new interest in baseball.