Evening star., 1942-02-02
Tilt Of AII-Stars,
Picked Service
Nine Proposed
Dodgers Boss Offers
Wartime Plan at
Writers Party
BY JUDSON BAILEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

NEW YORK, Feb. IA wartime
program for baseball, involving an
all-star game with a service team
and partial payment of players in
Defense bonds, was proposed for
the major leagues today by red
headed Larry MacPhail, president
of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The fiery, imaginative boss of the
National League champions out
lined an all-out emergency effort
for the diamond sport last night at
the nineteenth annual dinner of
the New York baseball writers and
said he expected the National and
American Leagues to consider the
subject at their meetings today.
MacPhail. who was captain in
the First World War and one of a
small group that attempted to kid
nap the Kaiser after the Armistice,
was allotted a few minutes on an
extensive speaking program at the
writer's affair and 1t was midnight
before he got his chance to tell
the assemblage Of thousand per-
sons what he thought baseball
should contribute to the war pro-
gram.
Would Move All-Star Game.
His suggestions fell into four
groups.
/. Move this years all-star game
from little Ebbets Field TO the spa
cious Polo Grounds and let the win
ner face an all-star service team in
some Midwest city.
2. Let everyone in organized base
ball, including the players. accept a
percentage of his salary in Defense
bonds.
3. Set aside a part Of every admis-
sion to buy bomber. which he sug-
gested might appropriately be
named KeneSaw Mountain Lands.
4. Make use of every open date
before and during the season for
major league clubs to play service
teams at Army or Navy camps.
MacPhail made clear that he was
offering these suggestions solely on
his own responsibility, and during
his talk mentioned consultation with
only ore other magnate. He said he
already had talked to President
Horace Stoneham of the New York
Giants about transferring the all
star game and had received approval.
Basebalrs Leaders at Dinner.
Since Commissioner Lands, the
presidents of both major leagues
and the majority of the club own
ers were present while he made his
suggestions. 1t was considered prob
able that he had discussed them
with various other leaders before
making them public.
He said he thought game be-
| tween the champions Of the major
league all-star game and team OF
baseball standouts from the mill
| tary services (Which might include
Hank Greenberg. Bob Feiler. Tee
williams, Cecil Travis and others
would gross a quarter-million dol
lars and suggested it might be held
in Cleveland or Detroit, possibly at
night. within a few days after the
regular all-star game which now is
scheduled for Brooklyn July 7.
Earlier in the dinner program
Fiorello H La Guardia, Mayor OF
New York and director OF the Office
for Civilian Defense, assured the
baseball men that there would be
no interruption of the normal sea-
son in New York City unless the
military situation changed drastic
ally.
The writer's heard other promi-
nent speakers, some in a serious
and others in humorous vein. and
/ themselves lampooned baseball's
leading figures and events in ad.
dition to presenting plaques to three
outstanding players-Joe Di Maggie
/ Mel OFT and Hank Greenberg.