Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-12
Quinn
Continued From Page C-1.)

NNOAlIAI0CO CAOA age N.1J
1870, began in his early teens
a baseball career which carried
him to upper baseball manage
ment posts in both the Ameri-
can and National Leagues, and
lyn.
Started Columbus Club.
He ceased playing in 1902 to
help organize the American As
ISOLATION. For Is years he was
business manager of the Column
bus club. which he got started
by selling $25 stock certificates
on the streets to that city's
skeptical public.
Fifteen years later Quinn's
fame as a baseball executive
aroused the interest of Phil Ball,
then owner of the st. Louis
Browns.
st have a job open that calls
for nothing but bunk and bluff.
1t is a soft one" Ball wrote
Quinn.
Il do not qualify" was Quinn's
immediate reply. IT never have
practiced bunk and bluff in my
life and I've never had an easy
job"
Ball was intrigued. And Quinn
at last agreed to become the
Browns business manager.
Buyer Sought for Red S0x.
In 1923 Ban Johnson, then
president of the American
League. was seeking a purchaser
for the late Harry Frazee's Red
Sox. That theatrical producer,
who sold Babe Ruth to the New
York Yankees. had run Boston s
once extremely profitable club
into the ground.
johnson prevailed upon Quinn
to head a Columbus syndicate
and buy out Frazee for a re-
ported $1,250,000. Quinn agreed
and dumped his entire savings
Of $4,000 into the deal with
several close friends. One mis-
fortune followed another. Quinn
was beset by all of baseball's
cruel fates-one of which de-
manded rain every time the Red
Sox had reason to expect a SELL
out crowd. One manager after
another failed, so did one high
priced player after another. A
100000 Boston pitcher was MUIR
dered the night before he was
due to leave for the training
camp. But Quinn fought on to
keep his club afloat.
Many times his last remaining
asset. the insurance policies he
carried to protect his wife and
two sons. were used as collateral
for loans to meet current ex-
penses.
After decade Of such strug-
Cling. Quinn finally gave up by
selling out to multi-millionaire
Tom Yawkey. Although the lat
ter paid a fair price for the Red
Sox. Quinn wound up penniless
after returning every cent his
Columbus friends had invested
with him.
Then the National League
beckoned and Quinn cast his lot
with the Dodgers. who. in 1888,
were in dire financial straits.
He made such deep impression
that President Ford Prick in
sisted he return to Boston in
1885 and take over the Braves
badly muddled affairs.
At that time the Quinn bank
account was back in the black
and he received financial sup
port from Casey Stengel, who
accompanied him as manager.
and Max Mayer, q wealthy
brooklyn contractor.
But Quinn's luck in Boston
continued bad. Gradually his
new savings disappeared down
the same baseball drain. BY
that time his son John was as
ISOLATED with him. Another son,
Robert. was in the priesthood
stationed at Providence College.
In 1945. Quinn again stepped
out Of the Boston baseball pic
ture. He sold out to PERMITS
group.
Then IS, but undaunted by
the blows he had suffered,
Quinn obtained employment
with baseball equipment manu-
facturer as a contact man. But
organized baseball still needed
him and soon he was called
back to become the director of
the Hall Of Fame.