Evening star., 1943-12-03
Bartering Likely Off
Until March; Lands
Firmly Is in Saddle
BY SID FEEDER.
Associated Press Sports Writer.


NEW YORK. Dec. 3-There
wasn't man biting a dog anywhere
in sight as the winter baseball meet
ings went into their final sessions |
today-unless it was a hot dog
The minor league rebellion against
Kenesaw M. Lands as GEAR" was
deader than last nights empty beer
bottles, at least for the time being.
The high commissioner still was
wearing the winner and still cham
pion" tag and the only thing left
was today's joint major session,
which figured to be practically love
feast except for request of the st.
Louis Browns and Cardinals for a
green light to play more night base
ball in 1914 than the maximum IA
game apiece the law allows.
In fact, SO far as anything popping
was concerned, there wasn't enough
wind left in the week-long hot air
derby to blow the ashes off the end
of your cigarette. And the most
MINDLESS" thing around was the
chance of a player trade, now that
Uncle Sam has his eye on Lefty Al
Smith. the bellcow of the Cleveland
| Indians staff.
Word that Lefty Ais ST. Louis
draft board has put him in IA
caused the Tribe to pull the fastest
trading bait of the entire sessions.
Jim Bagby, right out of the show
case.
Boudreau Would Wait.
In reversing his field after practi-
cally Offering the dissatisfied BagbyI
with a set of dishes in exchange for
a reasonable facsimile of a deSper-
ately-needed centerfielder from any
outfit in either league, Manager Lou
Boudreau summed it up neatly for
everybody by saying:
The way things are. with play
ing material being called up almost
daily, the smart thing to do is to-
wait until next March, when you
know where you stand, to make any
| trades
This appeared to be just what the
boys were going to do. as they hung
the closed for alterations" sign out
on the ivory market, although vir-
tually every club needed something.
| This applied even to the National
League champion Cardinals, despite
Billy Southworth's rosy outline for
next spring. Since he's been here.
Billy has received word that Short
stop Marty Marion also is about
ready to get the glad hand from
Uncle"
In the wake of Lands decision to
throw out the protest of the rebels"
who sponsored the late-lamented
revolution against his reign-a de-
cision. incidentally. that was about
as unexpected AS ball player order
ing steak for dinner-there was talk
that the three double-A loops might
''secede" from the Nation Associa-
ton of Professional Baseball Leagues
! and ask the commissioner to take
direct jurisdiction over them.
House Of Baseball Divided.
These three were the American
Association and the International
and Pacific Coast. But whether or
not they did anything about this
report, the rumor itself indicated
that baseball still is split down the
middle over the ill-fated inSurrec-
ton to overthrow the minor league
control of both Lands and William
| G. Bramham. the National Associa-
cations just reelected $25 ,0OO-a-
year president.
| Bramham's red-hot closing speech,
dripping defiance, was another in
| dication. So, too, might have been
/ the minors thumbs-dow vote on
Lands proposed amendment aimed
at killing illegal post-season exhibit
ton play by some big leaguers He
proposed making a club responsible
/ if it leased its ball park to any team
/ thus using player in violation of
/ the rules. In rejecting this, some of
I the convention delegates limited they
didn't want to play policeman for
Landis."
This proposal also comes before
the joint session of the ma jors to-
day, but they'll probably okay it,
just as they already have agreed on
April 18 and October l as the open
ing and closing day of the 1914 sea-
son and the retention of the Is
player limit per club.
The joint session also has granted
permission, through Lands, for a
spokesman of the National Negro
Publishers Association to speak at
the meeting. possibly in a plea for
major league use of Negro ball
players.