Evening star., 1943-12-14
Chain Stores Fearful
Lands Will Free All
'Jugg|ed' Minors
BY SID FEEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

1Scptiotth L 4tSo SpolbS "IIIeIs
NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-Ever since
Commissioner K. M. Lands put out
that recent baseball revolution, "
like guy puts out the cat at night,
several "chain store" farm system
operators have been grabbing the
aspirin bottle to be ready for a new
headache they're afraid the COM
missioner is cooking up.
This is the fear that before the
winters out the head is planning
to set free several hundred minor
league ball players-some estimates
run as high as 1000-Who went to
war from the 106 clubs in the 16
leagues which suspended in l943.
When they entered the armed
forces, these hired hands were placed
on the national defense service lists
of those clubs. Since the loops sus-
pended, however, the players were
transferred-many for a fiat 500 a
head-to clubs in leagues still doing
business at the same old stand.
They were placed on the defense
lists of those outfits and will report
to those clubs when the war ends.
1t is at this long string of transfer
deals that Lands is now aiming his
high hard one, and the reports are
that "the head" may declare the
whole lot of them free agents.
Fail to Curb His Power.
Rumors that this was the stew the
high commissioner had on the fire
were what stirred up the REBELLION at
the recent winter meetings, thereby
turning up the first serious threat in
% years to Lands baseball reign.
From behind the potted palms in
the headquarters hotel lobby of the
winter conclaveS you heard the word
that, regardless of any other re-
ported reasons for the revolution,
Lands plans for these players was
the real cream in the coffee.
I Under baseball's setup, the COM
missioner swings the big stick over
minor league ball only through the
major-minor agreement. If the in
surrectionists had been able to wipe
that out, Lands couldn't have done
a thing about these strictly minor
league transfers.
But the agreement was continued,
and now, if you believe the whispers,
Lands is sharpening up his ak. Just
how many players are involved isn't
known definitely. However, on the
1943 reserve lists, released just a
year ago, there were more than 900
players on the national defense lists
OF the circuits which suspended.
headed by the IS who went to war
from the Three-Eye League and so
from the Texas League.
Many Moved Up Line.
Many of the transferred perform
ers we're moved up the line to clubs
In the same farm chains. For in
stance, San Antonio, the St. Louis
Browns farm in the suspended
Texas League, shifted a whole batch
up to Toledo in the American Asso-
citation, leaving the Mudhens with a
defense service list of a couple of
hundred players. Little Rock ac-
quired the entire Oklahoma City
roster and Shreveport, La, shipped
10 players on the defense lists to st.
Paul
Lands has looked over all defense
lists and found some of them far too
big to tcke care of all the fellows
who'll be coming back ready for
work when the wars over. The re-
suit is. he's reported ready to turn
them all loose. so that each can deal
for himself with any club. Natural
ly, this is no present from Santa
Claus to the Chain store" operators,
whc've been counting on this trans
ferred livery to fill their own minor
league rosters when the suspended
loops open up again.