Evening star., 1951-10-14
Griffith First Witness
When Baseball Probe
Reopens Tomorrow

Reopens Tomorrow
With Clark Grifhth. president
|of the Mats, as the lead-of wit
ness, the House Monopoly sub
committee tomorrow reopens its
antitrust investigation Of organ
lied baseball.
On the eve Of the new hearings
POSTPONED until after the World
Series subcommittee Counsel E.
Ernest Goldstein said the inquiry
now has narrowed down to three
issues on which the investigators
want more information. These
are:
/. The territorial franchise ar
rangements under which both the
major and minor leagues control
the location Of ball clubs.
2. The enforceability of the "re-
serve clause"-the combination OF
contract provisions and other
rules by which a player is tied
to the first club signing him.
8. The operation Of the farm
system for developing players to
major league status.
Blacklist To Be Studied.
On the reserve clause" Mr..
Goldstein said, the subcommit-
tee is particularly interested in
the blacklisting OF players who
move outside organized baseball
to play. The investigators are
looking into the agreements
which forbid other players in
organized baseball to play with
or against an "outlawed" player
and which bar "outlawed" play
ers from using ball park owned
by men in organized baseball.
Antitrust laws. he pointed out.
frown on boycotts.
Mr.. Griffith will be questioned
both as player and an elder in
the American League. Mr.. Gold
stein indicated he will be asked
to tell about the early days Of the
American League when its clubs
were formed with players who had
Jumped" from the National
League.
| Sharing the spotlight with Mr..
Griffith on opening day will be
y. G. Taylor Sphinx, publisher of
The Sporting News; Ernie Stewart,
one-time American League UNI
ipire; Pitcher AL Widnar of the
st. Louis Browns and Seymour
tCy) Block, former major and
minor league player now in the
insurance business.
I Ex-Landis Aide to Testify.
Widmar Is expected to be ques-
toned about his salary holdout
troubles when he was recalled to
the. Browns and offered a lower
salary than he had received with
the Baltimore Orioles.
/ Tuesdays session will be de-
voted to questioning Leslie M.
O'Connor. former aide to the late
Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain
Lands and now counsel of the
Pacific Coast League. O'Connor
will be questioned about the To-
point program he devised for get
ting rid Of the farm clubs. which
Commissioner Lands always op-
posed.
l Wednesday. the subcommittee
will hear Philip Wrigley, owner
,Iof the Chicago Cubs and the Los
Angeles Angels; Bonneau Peters
owner OF the Shreveport club in
| the Texas League: Roger Doulens
"a Washington ball fan, and Carter
!! Latimer of the Greenville IS. c.
News.
i Hutchinson, Reese Called.
Thursdays witnesses will In.
clude Bill Werber, former bis
league player now in the insur.
ance business here; Russell G
Lynch of the Milwaukee Journal
Franklin Yeutter of the Philadel.
phia Bulletin and T. j. Halligan
president Of the Central League.
On Friday, Pitcher Freddie
Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers
American League player repre-.
sentative; Pee Wee Reese, short.
stop Of the Brooklyn Dodgers, ane
Attorney Frederick Johnson. whit
represented some of the player.
i, who Jumped" to the Mexican
League and sought reinstatement
will be the witnesses.
) Saturdays witness will be tn,
Rev. Father Francis A. Moore. :,
Jesuit priest who wrote a pape
strongly opposing the "reserv
) clause"
> Branch Hickey to Be Quizzed.
The following week will featur
Branch Hickey. father of the farm
5 system; Phil Rizzuto. the Ney
York Yankee shortstop and For,
: Frick. who testified at the earle
= hearings while he was presiden
Of the National League and ha
requested another opportunity t
testify In his new role as commits
sioner.
Joe DiMaggio was original
scheduled to testify but told tn
, committee he would be in Cali
fornia.
Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn
Dodgers second baseman, and Lo1
, Boudreau Of the Boston Red So
also have been invited to testify
but have not yet responded.
The hearings, over which Chair
man Celler will preside. are ex
= pected to last eight days.
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