Evening star., 1943-12-01
Gar Status Depends
On | Leagues, Idle in
1943, Getting Vote
BY SID FEDER,

by SID FEDEk,
Associated Press Sports Writer. .
NEW YORK, Dec 1.-The fanciest
fireworks in 40 years of minor leagu,
baseball blew up in one loud bang
To-Day. and when the shooting il
over Commissioners KenesaW M
Lands and Williams G.. Bramhan
either will be waving a bigger stick
than ever-or won'tsAave any stick
at all '''&.
Opening the third day of the
revolution" of the winter baseball
meetings, the minors went from
separate sessions into the general
get-together of the National Associa-
ton of Professional Baseball
Leagues. headed for the bitterest
brawl over control and power ever
faced by Lands in 20 years as high
commissioner of the national
pastime or by BranAAnn in his three
terms and IL years Us minor league
"czar."
Real Battle Is Promised.
With the nine operating minor
loops reported split four-and- four
and one ION the fence" all signs
pointed to a photo finish over %
whether Lands will lose entire con-
troll Of the minors through the
death of the iron-clad major
minor league agreement; (2)
whether Bramham will be voted out
of Office as National Association
president, to be succeeded by Frank
j. Shaughnessy, the International
League head, and go whether 16
leagues which had their voting
privileges taken away will win their
battle to get the ballots back to vote
In the scramble.
These Is were "disfranchised' be-
cause they didn't operate in 1943,
although continuing to pay national
association dues. And what finally
happens to them in their fight for
return of voting privileges was the
real dressing on the salad, for if
they are allowed to ballot, the
chances are the rebellion" stirred
up by a powerful group among the
nine loops which did function in '43
will be put out like cigarette under
the shower. The group of rebels was
said to include the International
League, American Association and
the Piedmont League.
Most Favor Present Regime.
Most of the Is loops figure to be
regular party liners who will vote
for Bramham's reelection to his
$25 ,000-a-year job and for renewal
of the major minor pact by which
Lands wields his power over the
minors.
So hot was the slugging in the
cllnches over the voting question
that these Is circuits, headed by the
reViving Texas League, were ready
to dump the entire row into Lands
lap, giving him jurisdiction on the
ground that when the nine operat-
ing leagues took the votes away it
constituted conduct detrimental to
baseball"
With the ivory market shut up as
tight as the little red schoolhouse
at midnight, the minor leagues mo-
nopolized the spotlight-and were
having a lot of fun out Of being the
big guys CT the meetings. 49,,
Charlotte Club Is Protected.
The Piedmont League agreed on a
140-game schedule for 1914, starting
April q and closing September 10,
and also extended the protection of
territorial rights to the Charlotte
and winston Salem club for another
year.
The loop will operate with the
same six clubs that finished the
l943 season.
Clark and Calvin Griffith repre-
sented the Charlotte club at the
meeting and Zinn Beck represented
WinSton-Salem.
The league instructed its repre-
sentative at the national association
how to vote on the contro-
versial issues which are stirring up
a minor tempest.
Hubbell Decides to Quit.
The major leagues came up with
some developments yesterday. chief
of which were the retirement of
King Carl Hubbell southpaw pitch
ing ace for 16 years, to become head
of the New York Giants growing
farm system, and the report that
Bucky Harris, recently appointed
of Buffalo in the Interna-
tional League, might be offered the
job as general manager of the Phil
lies organization if Herb Pennock
turns the spot down.
This last was the days entry in
the "life's little jokes" sweepstakes.
for Bucky was fired as manager of
the Phils last July by William Il
used to play for Yale> Cox. who
later was wiped out Of baseball for
ever by Lands for betting en- ball
games.
For the ho-hum department there
was the signing of Joseph Vincent
to a new three-year con-
tract to manage the world champion
Yankees which he has led to seven
world titles and eight American
League pennants in 13 seasons of
bOSSlng the BomberS.