The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1953-10-01

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John Mullen, farm director of the
Milwaukee Braves, that the working
agreement with the Hagerstown
Braves, as we'll as other minor league
clubs, would not be renewed, came
as any surprise to Gene Raney -
and here's why.
As far back as last August, when
Mullen spent two days in Hagers-
town, during which he and Raney
had very frank discussion, Mullen
told Gene, almost word for word,
exactly what he told the Associated
Press in the story released on Tues
day. that the Milwaukee Braves did
not have enough lower class minor
league prospects in sight to be of any
real value to the Hagerstown Club.
The two men went carefully over
the whole field of working agree
ments in a really friendly spirit, dur
ing which Mullen told Raney that
Milwaukee's working agreement
with the Hagerstown Club was the
best the major league club ever had
and he only wished they could do
more for the club than they did.
| had talk with Gene when he
was here on Monday, on his way to
the World Series, during which he
told me that he expected to meet
Mullen in New York on Tuesday and
discuss with him the disposition of
the players who were on the Ha
gerstoWn roster this year, after
which, Gene would know just how
many of them would be recalled by
the Milwaukee chain and how many
would become the property of the
Hagerstown Club.
If my memory is correct, Joe Blake
and Charlie Miller are the only men
on the club who are owned outright
by Raney, all the others being as
signed to Hagerstown by the Mil
waukee chain.
What Raney'S plans are for 1854
win probably not be settled until
after the annual meeting of the Pied
mont League in November and the
annual Minor League meeting in At
lanta in December. But of this | am
sure-If Gene decides to stay in base
ball in 1854, getting some sort of a
working agreement with a Major
League Club will be the least of his
worries.
A serious rift in the ranks of the
Board of Directors of the American
League, which could have had far
reaching effects, was averted on
Tuesday when Del Webb, one of the
owners of the New York Yankees,
backed down from his original plan
to force Bill Veeck, head of the st.
Louis Browns, to give up his plan to
shift the club to Baltimore and sell
out to group of men in Los Angeles.
After it was announced over the
week end that the League had voted
on "A split, not to OK the moving
of the club to Baltimore, president
Harridge suddenly called another
meeting on Monday and this was
following by a third meeting on
Tuesday, at which Webb introduced
a motion to move the club to Balti-
more and it was carried unani-
mously.
don't know, of course, what hap
pened to cause the sudden shift, but
I've shrewd idea that the recent
clamor in Congress for a very
thorough investigation of the oft
expressed charge that organized
baseball was a hugh monopoly, had
lot to do with it.
Congratulations to the HagerB-
town High School Hubs on their
win over the Westminster High
Eleven on Friday night, by a score
of 6 to 0, Although there was only
one touchdown in the game, the
Hubs were much the best, although
they still lack that scoring punch
when the opportunity presents itself.
They were in complete command
on the ground, gaining 1T yards as
against Westminster At and they
also gained another rs yards
through the air, completing six of
their eight pass attempts, while
Westminster completed only two out