Evening star., 1953-09-28
Meeting SET Tonight
On Browns; n. |. May
Expand 10 1OC|ubs
By the Assoeio,ed Pres.


what shaped up as a race to
bring major league baseball to
the Pacific Coast.
The American League called
a meeting tonight for more de-
bate on moving the Browns from
st. Louis. The National League
was reported to be in a secret
session considering the possibil-
ity of expanding to 10 teams.
Baseball men believe if both
Los Angeles and San Francisco
can be added to one league ii
would simplify schedule and
transportation problems, since
Eastern clubs could play two
series with each on a Western
trip.
Wrigley Owns Park.
The National League would
seem to have the inside track at
Los Angeles where Phil Wrigley
owner of the Chicago Cubs. owns
the Los Angeles club of the Pa
cific Coast League as well as
the ball park.
'"There is no question in my
mind but that the Pacific Coast
League is crumbling," said Cal
vim Griffith, vice president Of the
Washington club.
'It is suicide for them to try
to become a major league. They
just don't have the players. The
best thing for the league would
be for Los Angeles and San
Francisco to become majors and
the rest of the clubs form a
class A or B league"
After so years of rigid i'm
mobility. the m a jor leagues
started shifting things around
last spring. First Bill Veeck,
owner of the Browns, tried to
move his club to Milwaukee and
then Baltimore, but was turned
down. Then Lou Perini unex-
pectedly shifted the Boston
Braves to Milwaukee. TIL e
Braves set a new National
League attendance record in
1853 of 1926, ,397-opening the
eyes of all owners to the posi-
bilities of new territory,
Baltimore Still Trying.
Baltimore is still trying to get
major league baseball. Mayor
Thomas D'Alesandro and Clar-
ence Miles, Baltimore lawyer.
conferred behind closed doors
with Commissioner Ford Frick
and it was reported Frick had
granted them a new hearing to-
night. Last night the American
League turned down a proposal
to move the Browns.
Among other cities mentioned
as possible major league sites
are Toronto. Montreal and
Kansas City.
Griffith said the American
League was prepared to draft
the Los Angeles territory, and
added that Clark Griffith. who
had hitherto opposed expanding
to the Coast. was now in favor
of the move.
II can't see how we can pos
sibly keep the Browns in ST.
Louis now" said young Griffith
Heck. who's going to come out
and see them aplay. We've just
got to find another city for
them"
Frick to Hear Ba1timOreanS.
Frick later confirmed that he
had agreed to meet with the
Baltimore group tonight at his
hotel suite. It will be a closed
meeting, he said, adding that
he would talk to newsmen later
if they wished.
He said. Il don't see that there
is a thing in the world that ]
can do to help them. I would
not be able to force the Ameri-
can League to make public its
minutes, which is strictly their
business"
There had been reports the
Maryland group demanded the
minutes of yesterdays meeting
be made public.
Vice President Del Webb of
the Yankees. leader in yester-
days successful fight against
Baltimore-that city's second
rebuff in six months-is pre-
pared to lead the fight to bring
at least one West Coast city into
the American League.
Webb was one of four Ameri-
can League club owners who told
Veeck that for the time being he
must stay in st. Louis. where he
has lost almost a million dollars
in two and one-half seasons.
The vote on moving to Balti-
more was A. The Browns thus
fell two short of the necessary
two-thirds majority. A break
down of the secret hall0t was not
announced but it was learned
that Philadelphia, Boston and
Cleveland sided with New York
against the move. Cleveland
was one of the two clubs which
voted for Veeck last March when
he first sought permission to
move to Baltimore.
The leagues decision proved a
Continued on Page A-16, Col. A.