Evening star., 1940-12-10
Deal for Laabs
With Browns
Seen Likely
Tribe, Yonks, Chisox,
Tigers on Griff's
Swapping List
Bv FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

Bv FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Staff Correspondent.
CHICAGO. Dec. 10-With irons |
in five out of a possible seven fires,
President Clark Griffith and Man
ager Buckv Harris of the Nationals |
renewed efforts today to swing "at
least a couple of player trades" be-
fore the annual midwinter meeting |
of the major leagues winds up here
tomorrow after an abbreviated two
day stand.
If "at least couple of trades are
ris are going to be disappointed
twosome on the ride home. With |
rare bursts of activity they cam
vassed nearly every other club in the
American League on the eve OF the |
meeting and, according to Harris
submitted lists of Nationals they are
willing to consider as trading ma
terial
1t is believed that only Pitcher
Sid Hudson. rookie sensation of l940 !
and possibly Third Baseman Cecil |
Travis and Ken Chase are on the |
must-be-kept list Desperate after
the seventh-place finish Of the
Washington club last season, Griff
and Bucky are prepared to make
wholesale changes. This is a ia
miliar chant. Nothing has been
done about it for years. But this
may be the exceptional drive.
Ferrell May Join Browns.
Catcher Rick Ferrell may wind up
with the ST. Louis Browns in ex-
change for Center Fielder Chet
Laabs. Early this morning 1t looked
as if Griffith and Harris were close
to completing deal with Owner
Don Barnes and Manager Fred
Haney of the ST. Louis club.
Ferrell still is rated bv his bosses
as good catcher. but Rick is get
ting along in years. The Mats are
in mood to gamble with Jake
Early and AL Evans behind the plate.
who can throw.
Harris and his old Unfolding side
kick. Roger Peckinpaugh. conferred
for nearly an hour. Peck is the new
manager (again) of the Cleveland
Indians and he is a manager anx-
, ious to make some changes. Catcher
frankie Pytlak is on the block and
IN the past the Washington team
had been interested in him, but
Griff and Bucky more likely were
trying to wrangle a young pitcher
or an outfielder, or both. from the
Tribe. Ben Chapman. ex-Nat, def
nitely is for trade or sale.
Walker. Lewis Trade Bait.
The Yankees can trade this year,
having failed to win their fifth
straight pennant. There are going
to be some changes made in the
Yanks. chiefly because of the rising
crop of farmhands. Harris talked
at length with Mccarthy and gave
him something to sleep on as he
put it.
Among the names which Bucky
possibly submitted were those of
Outfielders Gerald Walker and
Buddy Lewis and Pitcher Joe Kra-
kauskas. There also was a possi- |
bility that George Cases name was
mentioned
The Mats are so badly in need of
center fielder and a shortstop-
second base combination, that
Walker, Lewis or Case. or a COM
bination would be traded to New
York and Ferrell sent to St. Louis.
The Yankees have Kansas City's |
crack keystone due of Phil Rizzuto
and Gerald Priddy coming up next
spring to threaten the slowing
frankie Crosetti and Joe Gordon. |
crack second baseman of the former
champions.
Would Crosetti, at this stage of his
career, be rated above Jimmy Pofahl |
present ranking Washington short !
stop? Harris thinks so. 1t is evident |.
the Washington firm is going to try |
to land him, although the Yankees
were understood to be against let |
ting the veteran go because Rizzuto,
the rookie. drew an early selective |
service number and may be drafted |
in June.
Even Tigers Are Sounded.
In his talk with Jimmy Dykes, |
manager of the White Sox, Harris
was asked about Krakauskas, the !
left-handed pitcher. Dykes offered |
either Jack Knott or Clint Brown, |
both oldsters, for the wild Lithu-
anian.
Harris and Griffith promised to
think it over.
Thus the germs of possible deals
were planted with four teams-New
York, Chicago, Cleveland and st.
Louis. But the Nat bosses didn't
stop there. Although Griffth's own
rule, passed a year ago, prohibits a
pennant winner from buying or
trading, a confab was held with
Manager Del Baker of the Detroit
Tigers. Chided about it, Harris
solemnly said:
There's no law against Detroit
dealing via the waiver route. is
there? Nor is there any law against
our doing the same thing"
That. then, makes five irons in the
fire. Griffith and Connie Mack of
the Athletics got together. but hardly
to talk about trades. The two old
pioneers are fast friends, but they
rarely do business together. And
probably the only reason why the
Boston Red Sox were not given a
| ssliSt UaS hAcaI1So Ourer Ton,
Yawkey, General Manager Eddie
Collins and Manager Joe Cronin
didn't show up until today.