Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1939-12-22
MIX-UP in BASE
BALL DECLARES
PRES. BRAMHAM
The National Pastime Has Al
ways Been Considered
An Honest Game
JUDGE lands IMPOSES
FINE ON SALISBURY

William G. Bramham, president of
the National Association Of Profess
sional Baseball Leagues, is stirring
up a "muss" among the owners and
managers of minor league ball clubs.
He is declaring that deplorable con-
dition exists in some places and among
some of the magnates. He likens it
TO the circumstances surrounding the
Block Scandal" which occurred in
Cincinnati 20 years ago during the
World Series.
Mr.. Bramham attacked the manner
in which some contracts have been
handled. He said: "We have case
before us now in which club filed
ID contracts calling for salaries from
$50 to 500 per month. We found that
the players had not signed those con-
tracts, but that their names had been
forged" Bramham asserted.
"The contracts signed by the play
ers called for salaries Of $175 to $3.50
per month and those were the salar-
les they drew, although those salaries
put the clubs total salaries far above
the league limit"
Bramham added that all officials of
the club from the multi-millionaire
owner down to the manager, professed
not to know who was responsible but
that "some one is going to be serious
ly hurt before it's cleared up"
Then, to show that this was not an
isolated contract mixup Bramharn said
he heard 507 free-agency appeals
from players last season and expects
to handle at least 1000 next year.
"The big trouble, I" he barked "seems
to be that many clubs have men hand
ling their business who cannot follow
instructions of any kind. I'd advise
clubs to waste no money on secre-
tary who can't do the job the way it
should be DONE"
Bramham said the Al leagues in the
association reported total attend
ance of 18,500,O00 during the past
year, new record, but that the fig
ure probably should be a half a mil
lion higher.
81 can't even get, confidentially, the
exact attendance figures from some
of you club owners" he protested,
because you're afraid they'll get you
into income tax trouble or something.
Sometimes you give a different report
to your league president from that
you give to me-" aiaaff
!. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Lands,
has also paid his respect to one of
the owners of franchise in the East
ern Shore League, Joe Cambria, own
er of the Salisbury Club. The little
old gentleman, who bosses baseball,
declared seven members of the Indian
squad free agents and ordered them
to stay away from any club that
Senior Joe has any connection with
for at least a. year. ,n sn ,'
According to the judge, Senior Joe
was careless in forwarding papers to
the commissioners office and so the
boys can't play for him.. The players
in question are John Breslin, Franklin
Griffith, AL Matulis, Gene Cavalier,
Hal Brumbaugh, Pat Pepper, Jim
Deacy and Tom Smith. m yi
Penalties pile up against Salisbury:
In addition to the ruling making the
players free agents, Judge Lands, on
Wednesday, laid fine of $1,000 a.
gainst the Wiconfico Club owner; $500
for use of blank contract in the case
of Player William j. Donovan and as
sessed another fine of $500 for filing
a contract fictitiously dated Is days
after its execution by the player.
Some of these boys were counted on
as regulars on the 1910 team but now
Joe will have to dig up some new ones
and be sure and send the Judge the
papers when he does.
The sooner such Irregularities are
corrected, the better for the game il
will be. Baseball, the national pas