Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-20
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DRAW By FRANCIS s1AAA
The Quiet One

LONG AFTER The LATE john Heydler became president
of the National League he fond dropping into The
Star Building cutting up old with the composing
gang of which he graduate and shooting the
breeze with Denman Thompson in the sports department
He afab.e eveheaded of great personal pop
uary which explained why he lasted the MI boss for
so long
Baseball shot full of politics before during
Heydlers reign There narrow,
greedy sports lacked teeth
and players alike Haunted them Heydler
anybody, responsible for the big remedial
which not have saved baseball precisely, but which
certainly helped it through the darkest hours
Heydler exnotype operator sandotter, umpire, base
ball rnger for half dozen newspapers successfully fought
for the appointment of Judge Mountain Lands
the sports first commissioner In the process he licked the
volatile Ban Johnson president of the American League
The quiet one bitter battle with calm logic for
weapon.
ONE OF HEYDLERS predecessors head of the Ma
tiona League Harry Puam committed suicide after brood
ing over the continuous pickering in the ranks Another
Tom Lynch cruelty fired because he had been
umpire. Lynch inconsoaby wounded when the club
supplanted him with K Tener governor of
Pennsylvania with the explanation that Tener
who would add dignity and prestige to the office Tener
later quit.
It the 1919 World Series that first pointed up the
stern stuff of which Heydler made 1t the White
Sox Reds and most of the experts convinced that
Chicago the stronger team Yet at the 18th the
gamblers threw it on Cincinnati
When the Reds the first two games Owner Charles
Comiskey of the White sought Heyder rookie pres
dent of the rival league special
from Cincinnati to Chicago
Gleason Manager Kid Gleason of the Sox) tells me
there something shy going on Comskey said to Heyder
during midnight visit I can't go to Garry Hermann
chairman of the three-man ommisSion = Hermann,
Johnson and Heyder-hat running the game because
he is president of the Reds And you how with
Ban Johnson -
CoMISKEY AND JOHNSON, co-founders of the Ameri-
can League had developed hate and Comiskey tossed
the rumor of fix in Heyders lap Dutifuy John dressed
and went looking for Johnson convival who
sleeping off when Heyder reused him at and
peated Comiskey's suspicious.
John" Snarled Johnson That's the yelp of whipped
cur"
For nearly year the bribe-takng by key White sox
players went improved But when it broke ComSkey and
Johnson Joined forces to punish the cup AS for Heyder
he had ammunition to campaign resoluey high
missioner and not long aferward enter Lands Federal
judge in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois.
The Indians who served as guides near Lands fishing
cottage in wisconsin called the ambouyant urist SagoYe
Wat-Ha which meant HE Who Keeps Them Awake Until
his death in 1914 Lands lived his Indian in base
ball, just as Heydler sure he would.
THE BLACK SOX SCANDAL of 1919 was not the only
time Heyder sadded with the distaseful duty of
between In 1924 when the Senators won their first PEN
nan bribery again reared its ugly head Not in the Amer
League but in the National.
The Giants in front by game and half with three
left with the seventhpace Phles Only by losing the
naming games could John McGraws Giants blow the flag yet
Giant rookie named Jimmy OConnel accused by
ShorStop Hene SAND or PneS or saying De worth
$500 don't bear down too hard against today
Sand told his manager Art Fletcher of the bride attempt
Fletcher related to Heydler who quickly contacted Lands
The upo that not only OConne but Coach Cozy Doan
and three Giant stars frankie Fsch, Ross Youngs and
George Kelly, hauled the carpet.
1t major test of Lands power. Owner Barney
Dreyuss of the Pirates asked Lands to call off the World
Series Ban Johnson demanded the Giants be disqualified
and the runneup Brooklyn Dodgers be substituted against
the Senators.
Lands threw OConnell and Dolan out of baseball
life and ordered the Giants and Senators to play.
THE OBITUARIES MENTIONED pretty consistently that
Heyder resigned after the 1884 Series
of i'll health But those him we'll such as
Author Fred Leb insisted that Heyder withdrew
biting letter written by Sam Breadon the Cardinals
and vice president of the league
Some two weeks after the Series newspaperman broke
story that Heydler had hired detective agency check
on the final series between the Cardinals
in ST. Louis when the pennan hung in balance The forth
right Heydler admitted it true
Breadon Tipped his lid, wrote letter in onghand to
Heydle and mailed it personally Later the ho-tempered
Breadon said The moment mailed the letter sorry
for the things said. If could have pulled Of the
maibox would have done So"
Breadon like the rest, knew good league president
when he