Evening star., 1953-08-19
Keep Sports Shirt
On, WrigIey Warns
me-Hunting Veeck
BY the Associated Press

Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels
warned the young entrepreneul
to keep his sports shirt on ano
not throw a monkey wrench into
anything so intricate as base
balls machinery"
Clark Griffith of the Mats agair
made it plain that he is ire
vocably opposed to admitting
West Coast teams to the Ameri-
can League.
An American League commit
tee appointed to study any pro-
posed franchise shifts also
cautioned Veeck on his efforts
to "sell' Los Angeles on providing
a home for the Browns.
San Francisco Next.
Weeks presence in Los An
geleS has stirred up considerable
interest and some civic activity
He plans to visit San Francisco
next, but said last night he
doesn't know just when. He was
there two weeks ago talking with
officials.
I'm just looking at various
cities which have evidenced in
terest in having major league
baseball" he said. But you
can't have major league baseball
without a major league park"
And at present Los Angeles
doesn't have a park coming up
to necessary specifications.
Weeks search for greener
pastures has the conditional ap-
proval of the American League
owners, who last spring turned
down his bid to move to Balti-
more. He confirmed reports the
club presidents told him he could
transfer the Browns if and when
he can prove he is financially
able to make the change.
TO Clubs or None.
But a committee of four own
ers made it plain that it would
not approve either Los Angeles
or San Francisco individually.
Owners feel that having only
one club on the Pacific Coast
would mean a hardship in trav-
cling.
The committee consists of
Spike Briggs. Detroit; Tom Yaw-
key, Boston; Chuck Comiskey,
Chicago, and Dan Topping, New
York.
Veeck apparently is following
the committees instructions to
go out and get facts and then
report back. Kansas City, Balti-
more, Toronto, Minneapolis and
st. Paul and perhaps Texas
cities are interested in Weeks S
transfer plans.
ANY club in either major
league has to have a park suit
able for such caliber of ball be-
fore it can move" Veeck said.
who builds or owns the park
isn't very important. The thing
is to get a ball park to offer
a major league club considering
q move"
1t appears clear Veeck himself
isn't planning any park buying.
Two Solutions.
There are two possibilities in
Los Angeles: Buying Wrigley
Field, the home of the Los An
geles Angels, or converting the
publicly-owned. 100,000-plus-ca-
pacity Coliseum.
From Chicago, Wrigley appar-
entity mixed the first possibility.
What good would our fran
chise and players be without a
park?" He asked. And what
about our stockholders out there
and our partners in the Pacific
Coast League. Would you sell
the roof off your house? I told
Veeck to keep his sports shirt
on and not throw monkey
wrench into anything so in
tricate as baSeball's machinery" p"
The Coast League is aiming at
major league classification for
itself.
Pants Rowland, Coast League
president, termed the furore "all
talk" but admitted his league
would suffer irreparable damage
If Los Angeles or San Francisco
should be taken away.
Ridiculous, Says Griff.
Clark Griffith, who has no use
for airplanes, said expense and
travel time would make admis-
sion of West Coast cities to the
league ridiculous. He would
prefer that the Coast League
develop into a third major
league.
Cal Griffith added that the
Washington club had informed
Veeck it would vote against a
switch to the Coast. He amended
his statement to say that Wash
ington might reconsider if two
Coast teams were brought in.
Hank Greenberg, general man
aper of the Cleveland Indians,
said such a shift would call for
q lot of study"
Will Harridge. American
League president. said he had
no knowledge of Weeks latest
plans.
On the other hand, Paul Rich
ards. manager Of the White Sox,
said:
THE sooner the American
League decides to move to Los
Angeles and San Francisco, the
better it will be for the league
and for baseball. The way
things stand now the American
League might as we'll have only
six clubs. The Browns and Ath-
letics are drags on the league
as far as the gate is concerned
All that talk about the Pacific
Coast League growing into major
is the bunk. It's moving fast ir
the other direction"
And in Baltimore, which wants