Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-15
Baseball Probe Turns
ToFranchises With
Emphasis on Browns
By Miriom Gutenberg

by MIrIom Gutenberg
Congressional baseball probers
are looking into the franchise
agreements giving ball club own
ers the right to control the loca-
ton of all major league clubs it,
was learned last night.
That angle of the investigation
will be particularly directed to-
ward the recently sold st. Louis
Browns and the arguments of the
West Coast teams for major
league recognition.
The House monopoly subcom-
mittee, which is making the in
vestigation, expects to start public
hearings July 80. It's originally
announced target was to deter
mine whether the reserve
clause" which gives a ball club
virtually complete control over
its players, violates antitrust laws
and whether it is good or bad for
baseball to exempt the game from
these laws.
Browns Cited as Example.
The subcommittee, according
to it's counsel, E. Ernest Gold
stein, has now decided to deter
mine whether the franchise agree
ments limit competition and con-
stitute illegal restraint of trade
and whether they, too, should be
exempted from antitrust laws.
ut has been suggested" he
= said, that Detroit, for instance,
could support two teams and st.
Louis cannot. But the club now
in Detroit has the right to veto
q second team. Under the fran
chise rules, the clubs can veto
competition even though it is a
different league"
The subcommittee has been
studying the st. Louis Browns
both because of the reserve
clause" and the restrictions on
transferring franchises from one
city to another.
Veeck May Be Called.
eft may be-" explained Mr..
Goldstein, that with the reserve
clause the Browns have been able
to keep up the semblance of a.
ball club with an occasional Ned
Carver (their star pitcher. With
out the reserve clause, the
weather. clubs could buy their
occasional stars and they
wouldn't be able to keep going.
"On the other hand, it has been
said that if there were no re-
serve clause, teams like the
Browns would be put into such a
precarious financial condition in
the competition for players that
they would be forced to move
elsewhere and build up their clubs
by greater attendance in baseball
starved towns"
Bill Veeck, who bought the
Browns earlier this month, is
likely to be called as a witness
at the open hearings. not only
because of his latest purchase
but because of his earlier sue
cesses in building up the Mil
waukee and Cleveland teams.
West Coast Owners May Appear.
West Coast owners also are ex-
pected to testify. They will be
questioned about the Pacific Coast
Leagues campaign to win recogn;-
ton as third major league as
well as about their efforts to be
exempt from baseball's annual
draft of minor league players.
The subcommittee counsel plans
to confer tomorrow with Paul
Porter, representing organized
baseball, to line up baseball's
witnesses at the hearings. One
question to be answered is who
will be organized baseball'S official
spokesman since the exit Of A. B
Happy Chandler as commits
sioner of baseball today.
Among those likely to testify
are the player representatives OF
the two major leagues-Freddie
Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers
and Ralph Kiner of the Pitts
burgh Pirates. The 16 player
representatives from all the major
teams. meeting on the eve of the
All-Star game last week, formally
went on record in favor of the
reserve clause"
Financial Data Sought.
Another likely witness is P. K
Wrigley, owner of the Chicago
Cubs, who has been quoted as
saying the reserve clause" may
not be good for baseball.
While scouting around for wit
nesses pro, con and impartial on
baseball's complex legal structure,
the subcommittee also has been
asking both the major and minor
league clubs for extensive flnan-
cial and statistical information.
Mr.. GoldStein said mass of in
formation also has been collected
about the players - how many
times they have been traded, how
long they have been in baseball