Evening star., 1939-11-29
-Four Baseball Clubs
Fined by Lands for
Not Filing Contracts
Rulings Give Back Pay
And Free Agency to
Several Players
By the Associated Press.

By the Associate Press.
CHICAGO, Nov. Ok. M. Lam
dis, commissioner Of baseball, i'm
posed fines totaling S2,500 on the
Detroit Tigers, the Brooklyn Dodg-
ers and two minor league clubs TO-
day and issued a statement in which
he scored several teams for failure
to file contracts and other player
negotiations with his office.
In a series of lengthy rulings
which awarded back salary and free
agency to several players Commls-
sioner Lands fined Detroit $500;
Brooklyn, $500: Dayton, Ohio
owned by the Dodgers, $1,000, and
the Columbus Club of the American
Association, owned by the st. Louis
Cardinals, $500.
From the investigation in this
treferring specifically to Detroit
case) and other cases." Lands said
'it appears that clubs are signing
players to contracts and term ac-
ceptanceS which are never filed for
PRONUNCIATION and are terminating
the relationship by informing the
player that the agreement has been
or will be destroyed.
These methods operate efficiently
to convince players that they are
tied up with the club concerned and
cannot secure baseball employment
elsewhere, Notwithstanding such
arrangements violate the rules and
are invalid.
Repeated denunciations of these
evil practices having proved un-
availing, notice hereby is given all
clubs that q fine of not less than
$500 will be imposed in all cases
where clubs hereafter engage in
these practices"
Detroit was fined after investiga-
ton in the case of Charles H. Tefft
All 18-year-old player Lands sale
was signed to a 1899 contract with
the Alexandria Na) club, with
which Detroit had a working agree.
ment, made in the name of the
Beaumont (Tex) club, secretly
owned by Detroit"
Red Pencil Signature Challenged.
The contract never was filed
Lands said. yet Tefft subsequently
was sent to Hot Springs, Ark, anc
Tiff1n. Ohio, the latter club releas-
ing him May Is, 1899. THE boy was
not officially released by Alexan-
dria," Lands said. Instead, his
Alexandria contract was returned tc
him with the statement that it was
not legal, because the clubs name
was written in red pencil. That
statement, of course, was untrue"
The Brooklyn-Dayton fines were
the results of investigation into the
case of George Kruger of Los An
geles. who, Lands said, was signed
in June, 1899. by a Brooklyn scout
Kruger claimed he was shuff1ec
back and forth between Dayton ano
Paducah, KY, finally being sent
home on July 49,
Lands, who said no club had been
named by Brooklyn in Kr,leger's
first contract, fined Brooklyn anG
Dayton $500 each for rules violation
Of the blank contract process, and
Dayton was fined another $500 "fol
falsely dating" Kruegers contract
and for filing such falsely datec
contract.
The Columbus club was fined $500
Tor filing a contract including a false
affidavit in the case of Charles Rip
pie, who was declared a free agent.
Youth Made Ineligible.
Lands said Ripple signed docu-
ment submitted by Scout Frank
hickey in August, 1886, when Ripple
was a 15-year-old high school stu
dent. Ripple and his mother, Ian.
dis said, testified that Hickey stated
signing of the document would not
affect the boys right to participate
in high school or college athletics:
the Ripples asserted the document
would not have been signed had
they known it would end his high
school and college eligibility.
The document did not contain a
salary affidavit as required by the
rules. Lands said.
In another statement. Lands said
the Duluth, Mimi. club, which has
a working agreement with the St
Louis Cardinals lin the name of
the Decatur, Ill, club gave st.
Louis scouts and officials blanket
authority to sign players for Duluth
Pointing out this was an evasion of
the rules, Lands named the follow
ing Duluth players free agents: Ed
ward Mccarthy, Vance Jackson
Ward. Daniel Francis Murray. Rich
ard Rossler and Floyd BARLEY.