The Wilmington morning star., 1940-02-14
MAJORS ALLOWED
TO HAVE FARMS
Lands Feels He Has Protect
ed Minor Leaguers; Player
Option To Be Extended
BY Y TALBOT

and a group OF owners anG officials
of both major leagues met in a dra-
matte Emergency" session today
and reached a compromise on tie
baseball farm system that cleared
the atmosphere for the time being,
at least.
The commissioner backed down
slightly from the stern and unyield'
ing attitude which recently has
thrown club Officials into turmoil,
and the officials met him half way.
The clubs will go right on having
their farm systems, but Lands came
out of the meeting satisfied that he
had done something toward protect
ing minor league players.
The commissioner, obviously aware
of the unrest within the whole base
ball structure since his recent dras-
tic decision against the Detroit club,
and Of the necessity for reaching
some common ground, called the
meeting unexpectedly at noon to
day at the conclusion Of the two-day
session of the rules committee.
Those who participated in the
noisy and hair-trigger meeting in.
cluded President Ford Frick Of the
National League, Presiden. Will Har'
ridge of the American League;
President Clark Griffith of Was, =
ington, Sam Breadon of the st.
Louis Cardinals, Bob Quinn of the
Boston Bees; General Manager Ed
die Collins of the Boston Red Sox,
and General Manager Larry Mac
phail of Brooklyn, and w. G.Bram-
ham, minor league commissioner.
Here is what they actually die
They agreed TO put to a vote Of the
major and minor leagues an amend
ment % rule II ~ to read as fol-
lows:
"A player re-acquired by the same
club or system shall, so far as rule
Ii (c) l is concerned, be credited
with having been under minor league
optional assignment Tor the inter
vening period; provided that if re-
acquired by a major league club, that
club shall be charged with n season
of major league optional service and
the balance of the players minor
league service shall be charged as
minor league optional service.
"A player acquired from a lower
cl lb of the same ownership or con
troll shall, for the purpose Of this
rule, be regarded as re-acquired."
Lands agreed that, if the amend
ment is adopted, he will suspend
paragraphs 5 and s and his bulle.
tin Of January Is pending subse-
quent consideration Of general re-
vision Of baseball administrative
rules.
Lands would not comment upon
the amendment, but he appeare.
well enough pleased. His secretary,
Leslie O'Connor, did his best to ex-
plain the thing in one syllable
words:
cit merely, he said, prevents an
extension of the period Of three
years in which a minor league club
could option a player and three
years in which a major league club
could option a player. Under the
old conditions it was possible to ex-
tend these periods through control
of the club that held the player,
which obviated the necessity OF
making any working agreement.
I'm other words, it represents an
effort to work out a compromise.
The commissioner wants to pro-
tect the players, and he believes this
will do it. This amendment takes
away the incentive for keeping a
player in the minors without option.
1t removes SO per cent of the objec-
tion."
The two paragraphs Of his bulle.
tin that the judge agreed to forget
for the time being provided (1) that
at the end of three years a club will
have exhausted its minor league t2-
ton on a player, and (2) requires
that working agreements be actual.
ly made by the clubs that make
them, and not through their subsi-
diary clubs.
This represented a mild victory
for the owners. They don't want to
los. control of a payer within three
years, no matter If he is a chronic
and incurable minor Lacquer.
Though he was pressed BY the
owners, the commissioner was
adamant in his refusal to allow the
major league cluts to sign players
for Their minor league farms. The
Judge, looking and feeling fine after
a month in the sun, permitted him
self to bend slightly, but he showed
them he still was boss.
O'Connor estimated it would re-
ouire a week or 10 days for the
amendment to be voted upon by all
clubs in organized baseball. There
wasn't much doubt in anybody's
that it would be accepted with
afacrity. AS one owner said: "At
least it offers us a breathing spell,
we can feel safe in going ahead
with whatever plans we had for
our subsidiary teams"