The Washington times., 1936-02-25
BaSebaUS
Pioneers
Vanish
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

This is not going to be a
particularly cheerful piece to-
day, for it is to be about Father
Time-you know, the old fell
low with q scythe-and the in
roads he has made, particularly
in recent years, on the baseball
fathers who founded the two
big leagues and whose leave
taking has passed the banner
on to younger, and. I fear, less in
Spired hands.
I fell over the weekend to think
ing how the old order changeth. I
fell to pondering that birds like
Griff and Connie Mack are about
all who are left of the pioneers who
have seen their brain-child grow
to be one Of the biggest industries
in the world.
Judge Lands Looks Back
It was Judge Lands, on address
ing the joint meeting Of the major
leagues in Chicago last December,
who commented on the number Of
club and league presidents who
have been moved down by the
Grim Reaper since Lands took Of
flee back in January, 1921.
The crop was a heavy one then.
It is heavier today, for, in the brief
span of q little over eight weeks
since Lands made his observations
three more club presidents have
been beckoned to the Great Be-
yond.
Hardly had the roar and tumult
of the world series faded into still
ness before the man to whom the
achievement of the worlds base
ball championship meant most,
Frank j. Navin, was summoned by
the Great Umpire. He was presi-
dent of the champion Detroit
Tigers. His cup Of sweetness was
short lived.
The American League had lost
one Of its most respected advisors
"a man whose counsel was always
sought when baseball faced a
crisis. He was the diplomat Of the
league. His vision on all baseball
matters was clear and his judS'
ment sound.
National League Hit
On January &. another Of the
games executive, who was in the
chamber in which Judge Lands
was commenting on the severe
mortality toll demanded Of base
ball since he became its czar,
Charles A. Stoneham, Succumbed
to illness in Hot Springs. Ark.
Stoneham was president Of the
New York Giants. About week
ago, the third listener to Judge
LandiS' observations, Thomas s.
Shibe, lost a well-fought battle
against illness. Shibe succeeded
his father, the late Ben Shibe, as
Aathletics' president.
There il an unusually heavy
loss of baseball executive ability
for so short space of time! Only
one other span exceeded it, the
years of 1881 and 1882 making
heavy inroads upon the lives OF
men who were the bulwarkS OF the
sport from its very infancy, all OF
whom Judge Lands so recently re
called as pillars Of the sport no
longer with u.s."
Just after the world series OF
1881, October 26, to be precise,
Charles A. Comiskey, who the base
ball writer's of his day loved to call
"the Old Roman" one OF the or
ganizers of the league and presi-
dent of the Chicago White Sox.
was lost to the game which had
been his passion. lis SUI, Louis,
now heads the club his father
founded.
WrigIey Answers Call
Within three months, the head
of the other Chicago major league
club, the Cubs, William Wrigley.
jr., chewing gum magnate, passed.
leaving the executive reigns to Will
liam L. Veeck who has since
also passed along.
Only a few weeks elapsed before
the National League was again
stricken by a severe loss, when, on
Feb. 5, 1882, Barney Dreyfus. for
years head of the Pittsburgh Pi-
rates, died. His widow is now
chairman Of the board OF the
Pittsburgh club and w. E. Ben
Swanger is president.
But in the early part of 1881
baseball had ben hit hard when
three men who had helped eStab-
liSh the game in the hearts Of
American fandom, answered their
last call-Ernest Bernard, second
president of the American League:
Ban Johnson, first president,
whom Bernard succeeded, and
Garry Hermann, one-time chair
man of the national commission
and former president OF the
Cincinnati club.
Meanwhile, many others who
have directed clubs and served the
the game well, have fallen from
the ranks. There is Phil Ball, who
headed the st. Louis Browns for
years; James Dunn, an early
Cleveland owner: Harry Frazee,
Boston theatrical man and owner
of the Red Sox; Charles EbbetS, Of
Brooklyn, and William F. Baker. OF