Evening star., 1938-12-09
Little Leagues
Lure 80 CATE
0f15,500,000
Ivory Market Slows
At Convention That
Winds Up Today
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. o.
William G. Bramham, 65-year-old
president of the National Association
of Professional Baseball Leagues, to-
day declared his baseball house to
be in order.
Here for the annual meeting Of the
association, which ends this after
noon, he said in an interview, the
cash registers are working, club
owners are behaving, players are
protected, and baseball IS on busi-
ness basis.
And everybody's happy" con-
tributed L. H. Addington, publicity
man for the organization, "the own
ers, the players and the public"
When Bramham, whose annual
salary is $4,000. was made czar of
the minor leagues in 1882 there were
only II of them Now there are 81.
when a man wants to start
team" said Bramham, I'VE check
him carefully, background and finan-
cial condition. 1t used to be that
mixers would 60 into town, bally-
hoo the Chamber of Commerce about
a team or league they wanted to
start, get the business men to buy
and sell thousands of tickets, play
along until the big day, the Fourth
OF July. and then go of IKE fire.
crackers.
Owners Now Investigated.
'"And when thev went off thev
| took the ticket money. with them
The players would be stranded with
perhaps a months salary owed
them"
I Now, NJ. Bvamham said. the as
sociation investigates all would-be
club owners and requires them to
post a 80 per cent security on the
regular monthly salary of their club
Besides, these potential owners are
required to pay a membership and
protection fee, and no rival team,
under the association s arrangement.
may set up business within 10 miles
OF another league member.
Addington said the depression set
the minor leagues back on their
heels. In one year during the dark
days. he said, about 20 leagues
started the season and six dropped
out by July 4.
But in 1898 there were Is $500, 900
paid admissions to minor league
games, said Bramham, jump of
1000, 900 over the previous year and
about 5,000, 900 more than the major
leagues accounted for.
There is no enterprise in the
country said Bramham, which
showed such a remarkable comeback
as baseball"
Public Respects Business.
He said the increasing attendance
figures are proof the public knows
baseball is legitimate business run
by hones> men.
The association yesterday ap-
proved an amendment submitted by
the International League increasing
the number Of optional players that
class AAA clubs may have on option
from 10 to IL.
Another amendment submitted by
the International League, which
would have permitted teams to with
hold delivery of notice of assign
ment OF player until the end of the
season and post-season series If the
assignment of contract was made
after August Is was defeated.
The delegates voted to permit
minor leagues to award champion
ship honers to winners of post-sea-
son play-offs.
When the baseball men gathered
earlier this week for the annual con-
Ventlon OF the National Association
OF Baseball Leagues, things looked
rosy for big league swapping.
But today, with only a few con-
Guiding remarks needed to end the
convention, the deal which Manager
Bill Terry of the New York Giants
and Manager Gabby Hartnett of
the Chicago Cubs organized headed
the list.
Few Big Moves Completed.
Terry traded Outfelder Hank
Leibe,r, Catcher Gus Mancuso and
Shortstop Dick Bartell to Hartnett
Tor Shortstop Billy Jurges, Catcher
Ken O'Dea and Outfelder Frank
Demaree.
The st. Louis Cardinals revided
interest temporarily by selling
Pitcher Ray Harrell to the Cubs and
exchanging Outfelder Frenchy Bor-
dagaray for Outfielder Dusty Cooke
OF the Cincinnati Reds, but that was
about all.
! Most of the big-time moguls de-
parted early for the meeting of the
majors in New York next week where
they may do some more bargaining.
One bit of unsettled business in
volved Frank Frisch, ex-manager of
the st. Louis Cardinals.
Frisch definitely turned down an
attractive proposition to pilot the
New Orleans Pelicans of the South
ern Association.
Il have a couple of propositions
up along the line and want to
consider" he said. 1--WE been in
the big leagues 20 years and I think
owe it to myself to stay there"