The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-05
JUDGE BRAMHAM. CONTRACT FAKE
 CHARGES PLAYER
NaAies Forged for $6O to 800 a Week; Refers to
 SOx Scandal of 1919
BY GEORGE KIRKsEY United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
 Cincinnati, Dec. 5-(UP)--"The case of the IA forged contracts stirred hornets nest in minor league circles today at the S8th an. nual convention of the National Association, the leagues governing body.
 Veteran minor leaguers were in. clined to believe that Judge w. G Braham, association president, had overplayed his hand in declarng before a rounG table discussion or league presidents and business man. agers yesterday that . case or forged contracts he has under in- yestigation lis just as serious against the club officials as the Black Sox scandal of 1919 against the play ers."
 Braham said he wouldn't com plete his investigation for two months and refused to divulge the club or league he referred to but from the amount of salaries in- volved the presumption was that It was a class D circuit team. He said players names had been forged to contracts calling for $60 to $90 a week while the players actually drew from SITS to $200 month.
 Bad Work
 "The trouble seems to be that many clubs have men handling their business who cannot follow instructions of any kind" he said. Every step in contract signing IS itemized in our manual, and I'd ad- wise clubs to stop wasting money on secretaries who can't do the job the way 1t should be done"
 Most experienced minor leaguers were Inclined to believe Braham was trying to penalize some inex- perienced baseball men severely for an infraction of the rules which bigger and wealthier clubs and chaki store system teams easily evaded because of their knowledge of baseball rurles and their loop holes.
 What about the bigger fellows who are getting away with 1t with out forged contracts?" Braham was asked.
 T only know what I've got in writing" Braham Teplied.
 The American league club owners were considerably upset about Braham's reference to the Black Sox Scandal.
 That's dead and buried and we have lived 1t down." said one Amer ican leaguer. And the parallel the Judge draws is somewhat far fetched to say the least"
 Asks Leadership
 At 6 dinner given by the Texas Leaguge last night Jakie Atz, pilot of the Great Fort Worth clubs of the early 20's and now president of the Henderson East Texas Leaguge club, urged Braham to use his office to lead the lower minors rather than hinder them.
 You've got to lead us, Judge,' Atz said. i've given 42 years of my life to baseball and know as much about 1t as anyone but we can't eX- ist unless We have the right kind of leadership. We need men like Branchc Hickey and Jack Zeller to help us and keep us going"
 Atz received a great ovation for his speech which expressed the feeling Of most of the Little Fel- lows" inbaseball.
 Hickey of the Cardinals and zel- Ter of the Tigers are two of the biggest chain store executives and EF IA. been directing his fire at both of them the past several years. Landis declared several Cardinal chain store players free agents in the spring of 1888 and recently fined the Tigers $500 for their manipula- ton of player contracts. He still had under investigation the affairs of five minor league clubs with which the Tigers had working agree- ments.