Evening star., 1948-12-21
baItimore's Refusal
To Yield Franchise
One Major Barrier
By Lewis F. Atchison
Ster Ssaff Correspondent

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Stos Stsff Correspondent
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2l.-Pre
footballs cold war was resumed to.
day as the National Football League
ana the An-America Conferenc.
tardily opened their draft meeting.
after yesterdays day-long peace
conference between the league.
failed.
The National League began choos.
ing its draftees at q meeting here
while the rival loop opened Its ses.
sion at Cleveland.
To all outward appearances the
two leagues will continue to operate
separately in 194s. but optimists in
both organizations still hoped that
grounds might be found to work
out a financially sound and salts
factory agreement. A carefully
worded joint statement issued last
night by Bert Bell, National League
commissioner, and Benjamin r
Lindheimer. chairman of the Exec
utive Committee of the All-America
Conference, emphasized that point.
Future Meetings Expected.
The last sentence of their state
ment is important. It read:
Representatives of the National
Football League and All-America
Football Conference concluded q
meeting tonight in Philadelphia
Efforts by both sides to formulate
mutually satisfactory agreement
were not consummated. The COM
mittees terminated the meeting with
the expectation that future meet
ings might provide some formula
for common understanding be-
tween the leagues"
Observers interpreted this as
meaning that the two groups are
not so far apart on their respective
demands that they cannot get to-
gether in time to cooperate on
next seasons plans. Convening Of
today's draft meetings. however,
would seem to contradict that
thought.
I'VE are only that far apart" "
commented Curly Lambeau of the
Green Bay Packers after last night S
meeting. He indicated a fraction
Of an inch with his fingers.
Proposals Not Revealed.
No one would venture a guess
when the groups might meet again
or under what circumstances.
Neither league would reveal what
proposals the All-America commit
tee brought to Philadelphia, nor
what the National League demanded
In return. The National League
was unanimous. 1t was said, in its
decision to admit only the San
Francisco '49ers and Cleveland
Browns as member teams. The
conference committee was reported
to have wanted to include Balti-
more and the Los Angeles Dons in
the revised setup.
George Marshall. president of the
Redskins, said he believed the
league could show a profit in Cleve-
land and San Francisco the first
year Of operations. but doubted II
it could the second year.
Baltimore's refusal to give up its
Al-America Conference franchise
and the National Leagues objection
to its inclusion in a new setup was
reported to be one major stumbling
block in solving the problem Of q
revision Of the pro football map. It
was reported that Colt ofncials had
been assured Baltimore would be
included in any reorganization
plans.
This would mean q l4-club circuit
and more than one National
Lacquer baked at the idea. They
called it unwieldly. For one thing
1t would involve gigantic resched-
uling program. beginning with 194s,
and it was pointed out that map
ping schedule for seven teams in
each circuit would be next to i'm
possible.
Called Minor Matter.
The All-America group was re-
ported to have called this a minor
matter. but not National League
clubs with such opponents as the
Chicago Cardinals and Chicago
Bears and the newly crowned
Philadelphia Eagles on their sched-
ules. The All-Americas were re-
ported desirous of reaching an
agreement on the basic" questions,
then sit down as q unified group to
iron out details involved in any CO.
operative plan.
CThere Is one solution remaining
to the insistence of A-AC officials
that Baltimore be included in the
proposed setup, a Chicago Daily
News correspondent said he had
learned. He wrote:
1.-THE An-Aperica commmittee
which travelled here to Philadelphia
from Cleveland has demanded that
the National League absorb so per
cent of Baltimore's 194s losses. If
the NFL agrees to that counterpro-
posal the All-America Conference
will collapse and San Francisco and
Cleveland will join the older circuit
to provide a 12-team lineup in
1897
Unsolved were such matters as
rights to players on All-America
teams that would fold If the groups
did agree on plan, eligibility Of
former National League players
who jumped to the All-America Con-
ference, priority on players drafted
but not yet playing pro football.
Lindheimer said he would not
consider any deal with the National
League unless Baltimore we're in
cluded. He added that he thought
there was room for two clubs In Los
Angeles and also room for two ma
jor football leagues.
All of the conference representa-
tives were gone from Philadelphia
today. On the surface the two Or
ganization seem as far apart as
when they first got together.