Evening star., 1954-11-22
Griffith Obtains
Bob Kline, .31o
Al AfBirIlliillghan1
MI Meeting Likely
To Discuss Addition
OF West Coast Cities
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK, Nov. 22.-Bob
Kline, 25-year-old righthanded
hitting shortstop who batted .319
with Birmingham last season,
was drafted today by the Wash
ington Senators.
Nine major league clubs
claimed a total Of IL players
lin the draft, which was over
shadoWed somewhat by persist
ent reports that the National
League, meeting later in the day,
would discuss expanding into a
10-tean circuit to include Los
Angeles and San Francisco.
"Kline is a better Shortstop
than anybody we have on our
roster" declared Calvin Grif-
fifth, vice president of the Sem
ators. We'll be counting on him
to play regularly for u.s."
Shifted by Yankees.
Kline, property of the Yam
KEGS, was drafted from the To-
ronto roster, where the Yankees
had placed him in an effort to
shield him from the draft. He
cost the Senators $4,000. .
After hitting .278 with Bing-.
hamton, N. Y, in 1851, Kline
was moved to Beaumont, Tex.
in 1852 and batted only POI. He
shifted to Birmingham in 1853
and batted .283, then blossomed
with his finest minor league
showing last season with the
same club.
Kline, rated a fine fielder,
raped % doubles. six triples and
three home runs with the Barons,
batting in "a runs. He is a g.
foot, 175-pounder and a resi-
dent of st. Petersburg, Fla.
Ex-senator Mickey Grasso was
among those drafted. Grasso, who
appeared in the 1854 World
Series with the Cleveland Indians.
was selected by the Indians con-
querors, the New York Giants.
Grasso sat out most Of last sea-
son with a broken, ankle suffered
in spring training.
Other Selections.
The other draftees are:
Ruberto Clemente, Montreal
outf1elder, by the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
James King. Rochester out
fielder, and Vincente Amor, Okla
homa City pitcher. by the Chi
cagog Cubs.
Glenn Garbous, Montreal out
fielder, and Gerry Dean, Buffalo
pitcher, by Cincinnati.
Art Cecarelli, Kansas City
Blues pitcher, and Robert Spicer.
Los Angeles pitcher, by Kansas
City Athletics.
Ben Flowers, Louisville pitcher,
by Detroit.
Joe Trimble, pitchekwith VIII
Transport, Pa, by Boston.
Ruberto Vargas, Indianapolis
pitcher, by Milwaukee.
Normally only one player may
be drafted from each minor
league team, but Montreal and
indianapolis lost two each.
Clemente was a bonus player
and thus vulnerable, while
Grasso was in the open category.
Last year nine clubs chose 13
minor leaguers for cash pay
ments Of $132,500..
Meeting Listed as Routine.
National League executives
were saying, for the record, that
this afternoons meeting is rou-
tine. but it was believed the
league planned to press for i'm
mediate investigation Of the
prospects of adding the West
Coast cities. Changes in the
rules to permit such expansion
already have been lnade.S
The owners may also hear
from Bill Veeck, former head of
the st. Louis Browns who now
is employed by Phil Wrigley of
the Chicago Cubs to investigate
and explore the major league
possibilities of Los Angeles and
San Francisco. In order to add
either or both of these cities,
the majors would have to draft
them and pay damages to the re-
manning Pacific Coast League
clubs.
i wouldn't be bit surprised
It the 10-club matter came up
at our meeting" an unidentified
National League club owner said.
i believe both major leagues
(See BASEBALL, Page C-2)