The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-16
Lands Warns Ball Clubs
Abide ByLeague Laws
Club Officials Told They Will
Be Banned If Further Vi0-
lations Are Found
BY CHARLES X

CHICAGO, Jan. 15.-R-Organ-
lied baseball, jittery from a $780,
900 penalty bombshell tossed by
Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain
Lands, tonight pondered a warning
that Punishment from the game
faced officials for future violations.
Lands, warmed up in his cam
paign to force baseball to live up
to it's own laws, issued this warn.
ing:
Notice is hereby given all clubs,
club officials and employees that
the evils Of common control Of
player dealings of two clubs in the
same league, and perversion Of
working agreements for the whole
sale covering UP of players. must
cease; and, that all club officials
and employees found to be involved
in any such misconduct after this
date will be placed on the ineligible
list, maximum fines will be impos-
ed on each club concerned and all
players mishandled therein will be
declared free agents."
Club owners of the American and
National leagues generally refused
comment on Lands sweeping de-
cision in making free agents of 81
players belonging to the Detroit
Tigers and IS farm affiliates; fin
ing the Chicago Cubs $1,000 and
the st. Louis Browns $500 for
"meddling," assessing Cleveland ST.
900 for covering up" a player, and
ordering sums totalling $47,250 paid
to IA players previously held under
cover but no longer the property
Of Detroit or its farms.
The commissioner left Chicago to-
day for his annual winter holiday
in Bellair, Fla. He will be absent
from his office at least a month,
but before he left he prepared an
other blast at violators of base
balls laws which will be made pub
lie tomorrow.
His office declined to reveal the
exact nature Of the statement but
it was expected to discuss further
and more fully the continued In
fraction Of regulations governing
the minor league operations OF the
big league organizations.
The action was Lands severest
punishment since he became GEAR
Of baseball 20 years ago following
the notorious "Black Sox" scanda!
involving the Chicago White sox
in tho worlds series of 1919 with
Cincinnati.
The decision ruined the Tigers
farm system, halted consummatlon
of a trade in which Detroit had
agreed to send Benny Mccoy, rat
ed as a SAC, 900 i%nfielder, and Pitch
er George Coffman to Phliadel-
phia for Outfielder Wally Moses,
and enabled the players declared
free agents to negotiate AFTER 10
days with any club not included
in the penalty citations for me-
contracts, with cash bonuses In
most cases
Lands today removed the name
If Pitcher Paul "Dizzy" Trout from
the list of players held secretly by
the IOleOO CluD " G&S
association for Detroit. Lands dis
covered that Trout had been turned
over to Toledo on a duly filed OPP
tional assignment and therefore
legally belongs to the Tigers. Trout
had expressed a hope to sell his
services to some other club for a
SIC. 900 cash bonus.
Connie Mack, manager OF the
PHILADELPHIA Athletics, expressed
disappointment in failing to get
| Mccoy, who, no doubt, will be the
most s~oughtafter of the four Tigers
declared free agents.
"We'd still like to have him on
second base next season." Mack
said, 'and stand ready to make
him an attractive offer. We were
banking on Mccoy to strengthen
our infield. Now our plans r. up
in the air until we can ascertain
Ihow much Mccoy wants to sign