Evening star., 1939-12-09
Bitter Magnates
Declare Finish
War on Judge
Lands Makes Quick
Work Of Crimping
Chain Owners
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press SPORTS Writer

BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer.
CINCINNATI, Dec. 9.-The battle
line has been more tightly drawn
now between Baseball Commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Lands and the
group of men who dislike the OBJ
stinate manner In which the old
Judge is running the game.
Its q war to the finish now"
seethed one particular magnate last
night. Its only a question of
whether we can beat him before he
wrecks the game" He meant it
every word.
The one who said this, incidentally
was not Larry MacPhail, business
manager of Brooklyn, who slammed
out Of yesterdays joint league meet
ing when Lands peremptorily be-
gan rejecting the rules amendments
that would have curbed his nearly
unlimited power and have given the
farm system chance for its life"
New Scrap Hotter Than Old.
The approaching scrap, veteran
observers believe, Is likely to prove
hotter than the one led against Lam
dis more than decade ago by Presi-
dent Phil Ball of the st. Louis
Browns. Ball was so bitter, 1t is re-
called, that he threatened now and
then to haul the commissioner into
court. Once during those lurid days
Lands told the boys they could tear
up his contract, and that nearly
scared them to death.
One thing is certain: The Judge is
champion now and riding higher
than ever since he accepted the
chair after the BLACK Sox" scandal
He heard no argument at yesterdays
meeting and it took him only 40
minutes to race through the amend
ments offered.
According to a stunned eye-wit-
ness the proceedings consisted al
most entirely of Lands rapping out {:
"The National League votes yes. The
American League votes no. The
Commissioner votes no." Then the
judge left.
Those who suffered most by the
commissioners rejection of the
measures were the big chain sys-
tems-the Yankees of the American
League and Cincinnati, Brooklyn
and st. Louis of the National.
Barrow Steaming Mad.
In the conservation that followed
the judges abrupt action, the hotel
lobby was flooded with reports that
the Yankees probably would sell
their Kansas City franchise and
withdraw support from a hatful of
smaller clubs. President Ed Barrow,
usually genial soul, was hot under
the collar.
From now on a big league team
will be foolish to try to control a
large number of players" said an
owner.
Lands, of course, has the strong
est sort of support in his aversion
to the super-farm systems and un-
policed working agreements. To
him the "have-nots'' of baseball see
their one chance of salvation, their
only hope of competing with the
rich clubs and such high-pressure
geniuses as MacPhail
1t was learned positively, in that
connection, that the Yankees would
have obtained George McQuinn,
crack young st. Louis Browns first
baseman, If the American League
had not passed its rule forbidding
a champion club to acquire players
from its own circuit except by
waiver. Washington was trying to
compete with the Yanks, but didn't
have chance.
Reds Get Jim Turner.
The meeting finally produced a
rash of trading before the delegates
left town last night. The consensus
was that the most important deal of
the week was the one in which the
champion Cincinnati Reds bolstered
their pitching staff by obtaining Jim
Turner from Boston for Les Scar
sella and cash.
The Boston Red Sox strengthened
their inf1eld reserve by purchasing
Marvin Owen from Chicago.
The Boston Bees swapped Pitcher
Danny MacFayden to Pittsburgh for
another veteran finger, Bill Swift,
and cash. The White Sox sent Out
fielder Rip Radcliffe to the st. Louis
Browns for Julius Solters and cash.
The deal that would make Pie Tray
nor, former Pittsburgh manager, a
coach at Brooklyn still was hanging
fire.
The Philadelphia Athletics traded
Wally Moses, outf1elder, to Detroit
for Benny Mccoy, second baseman,
and George Coffman, relief pitcher.