The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-29
SEEKING
 JOB, TO TALK
 ON NARROWER
BY LEO H. PETERSEN United Press Sports Editor

New York, Jan. 29--CUP)-The most fateful week in baseballs his- tory lay ahead today, with Major League executives facing the ques- tion of whether or not to open their parks for regular schedule in April ana of selecting a new high con- missioner 70 succeed the late Judge Kenesaw M. Landis.
 The club owners meet here Friday and Saturday and Jhat happens in the emergency sessions may well shape the future history of both Major and Minor circuits.
 They will hear the report of Ma tional league president Ford Prick and Clark Griffith, president of the Washington Senators, on their con- ferences last week with selective service ond manpower officials at Washington. Prick, acting as base- balls unofficial spokesman, suggest ed that the club owners decide for themselves. after hear;>.g his report, whether the sport will be left with sufficient manpower to continue operations.
 Griffith, however, told the United Press that on the basis of what he had heard, baseball would be able to start the season.
 Landis bitterly opposed any sort of a Washington lobby such as racing and other sports have developed, but Prick feels at this time at least that baseball needs a spokesman, al- though not necessarily a National coordinator.
 O'COnnOr Peeved?
 Although his supporters generally supported his action in conferring with S3lective Service Director, Maj. | Gen. Lewis B. Hershey and other high Washington officials, Leslie OConnor, veteran Secretary to Lan- dis and chairman of the three man advisory board which has interim stewardship over baseball expressed his opposition. He indicated that Prick replied that he had not gone in an official capacity, but had merely represented the National league. The third member of the board, Will Harridge, American League president, expressed no crit icism, nor has he opposed Tricks obvious desire for the commission l ership.
 The meetings will open with sep arate American and National League sessions The ratification of a new Major League agreement drawn up recently by 10-man committee is expected. It is this pact which is said to call for a three-fourths vote of the clubs for commissioner, which might prevent | Prick from getting the job. How ever he is understood to have the support of all but one National League club and of three to five American League owners.
 There are certain imponderables, which may affect the final decision, such as the current favorable course of the war in Europe and the pos sibility that 4-F athletes them selves will be unwilling to play when high administration officials have placed stigma on their patriotism.
 Col. Larry MacPhail, the new boss of the New York Yankees, in- dicated his displeasure over the 4-F situation in his first press confer ence, when he said that "the gov ernment is going to have to remove the stigma it has placed unjustly on 4-F athletes, before we know just how extensively we can oper- ate"
 That the question of naming a new high commissioner could be re- legated to secondary importance re- fleets the gravity of the times. There is a definite possibility that no one will be named since the successful candidate reportedly must receive the support of 12 of the 16 Major League owners.
 Prick, who has been campaigning quietly for the post, still appears to have the inside track and he gained additional stature in some quarters because of his decision to carry baseball's case to Washington. In doing 50, however, he acted in the exact reverse of a long standing Landis policy, which was never to mix in political affairs or to ask favors of the government.
 Also of potential major import ance this week will be the first moves of MacPhail in his new con- nection as head of baseball's most successful dynasty. Although he