Evening star., 1939-04-16

century former Cincinnati sports
writer, Ban johnson, organized the
American League. A willing and in
valuable ally was Griffith, who had
been National League pitching
star. Griffith battled for players
rights. He raided the National
League for star performers. He took
over the management of the Chicago
White Sox and pitched and piloted
the Sox to the first pennant. The
Americans in 1901 opened with eight
cities-Boston, Chicago, Baltimore.
Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, st.
Louis and Washington.
Rivalries Bitter.
There were interleague rivalries
at the close of the seasons, but they
were bitter, argumentative and
poorly run. Not until 1903 did any,
thing resembling good organization
appear. and even then, in 1904, co.
operative relationship between the
American and National Leagues re-
ecived setback when John j. Nc.
Graw refused to send his pennant-
winning Giants against the winner
of the American League. the Boston
Red Sox. The Sox claimed the
world title by default, but in 1905
the World Series was resumed, when
the Giants defeated Connie Mack's
Athletics. and from that year on
the series was an established classic.
The last crisis faced by baseball
! iV1 1910 MI
White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds
met in the World Series. The Sox
were favorites, but the Reds won,
five games to three
Charles Comiskey, who was called
the "Old Roman" suspected that all
was not we'll with the White Sox
he owned. He conducted an inves-
tigation, and in midseason of 1920
he announced that his players had
thrown" the series to the Reds.
Eight Chicago players-Eddie Cicot-
te, pitcher; Arnold Chick Gandil,
first baseman; Shoeless Joe Jackson,
left fielder; Oscar (Hap) Felsh, CEN
ter fielder; George Buck Weaver,
third baseman, and Fred McMullen,
utility player-were accused of dick
ering with gamblers. Conspiracy
charges were lodged against them
by Chicago jury on August 2, 1921,
but, although the players were &C
quilted, Comiskey was through with
them. Then, in that same year Of
1921, Federal Judge Kenesaw Noun
tain Lands, who had achieved fame
by plastering an astonishingly big
fine on Standard Oil in the trust and
monopoly fight, was appointed high
commissioner of baseball And one
Of his first acts was to bar the eight
accused Chicago players from the
ranks of organized ball for life.
BY this drastic action baseball was
vindicated. And then along came
| the greatest and most colorful figure
in history, huge pot-bellied man
who had been raised in Baltimore
orphan asylum. Babe Ruth had been
u star pitcher for the Boston Red
Sox. but he batted so we'll that he
was converted into an outfielder.
Ever since the day baseball ap-
pointed Lands as it's czar it has
been the biggest and greatest Of
all sports industries. Today finds
1t highly respected. well-conducted
game which attracted more than
25,000,0O0 paid spectators in 1888.
Night Baseball Coming.
And tomorrow? Why, tomorrow
Is the opening game. New prob
lens have sprung up. Night base
bali is to be introduced into the
American League this season. Phil
adelphia and Cleveland are sched-
uled to play night ball for the first
time in history. There is talk of SUBJ
stituting the white ball, in use for
100 years, with yellow ball which
scientists say will afford clearer
vision.
Tomorrow all Of the 16 major league
ball clubs take in notch on their
belts and square away for another
year. Tomorrow finds the New
York Yankees seeking their fourth
straight American League pennant
and world championship. This
never has been done before, and
tomorrow will begin to tell whether
young Bob Feller Of the Cleveland
Indians is another Walter johnson
or just a kid with a fast ball who
was rushed along too fast and has
sore arm. Tomorrow is the day
the clubs will begin to take the
blankets of their new rookie stars
u. when Outflelder Ted Williams
of the Red Sox, Freddy Hutchinson
of the Tigers, Roberto Ortiz of the
Senators. Eddie Miller of the Bees,
Charley Keller of the Yankees and
two-score other recruits parade to
the post and open another season.
Tomorrow Is the day when Frank
lin D. Roosevelt will shut down
his roll-top desk at 1900 Pennsyl-
vania avenue and 60 out to tho
ball park and become Franklin D.
n-@.>,,>yk