Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-09-03
SEGH AT LARGE
Veeck Pitching
For Senators
By MORRIS SIEGEL

SINCE PLACING HIMSELF on the voluntary retired
list almost three pennants ago, Bill Veeck has fulfilled
every requirement of his status except he has
remained retired but not voluntarily.
He has been as eager to get going in Washington
as Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller, who also
would like to be truly big shots in the Nations Capital
Last January Veeck came almost as close to running
the baseball show at D. c. Stadium Richard Nixon came
to calling the shots at the White House in 1880 Veeck is
willing to try again For that matter might Nixon
be when the time comes.
The time for Veeck is right If there ever was
any doubt about his designs the Senator'S Veeck re-
moved it in the current issue of Saturday Evening Post
publication which managed to get some costly publicity
for itself down south recently.
IF THE FANS OF WASHINGTON want to riot in the
streets to bring in could not to quote 500 or part
time residents of the city, find it in heart to ignore
the call" Veeck writes.
draft Veeck movement would be easy to start here.
Unfortunately for those who would like this fun
loving iconoclat in the draft movement might not
include the current and the effort would be
doomed to automatic failure matter how many write
in votes for Veeck appeared
The sincerity, integrity and genuine willingness of
the current operators has been questioned here and
will They have given and continue to give all they
in both money and effort to improve the mess they
inherited
However prospect Veeck part of the package
at D. c. Stadium is too intriguing to be ignored His rec
ord, at st. Louis where lastpace teams were no
novelty either contains documented evidence of his ability
to make losing interesting. This the only mme-
date hope for the future not only here but in the other
three expansion areas as we'll
VEECK is NO MAGICIAN who make contenderS
out of taenderS. He might have thought so when he
took the st. Louis Browns in 1851 but the realities
Of long schedule with inept players convinced him other
wise.
When Veeck chose his magnificent retreat in Easton,
Nd to rest from Illness he chose the estate on Tran
guilty Lane for purpose I'm this location he observed
when he settled there 81 keep on two franchises
at one time, Baltimore and Washington"
1t is Washington which ntrigues Veeck the most. He
has coveted this franchise for years and still dreams Of
making it his "The clubs greatest asset he writes
and this is the most Illogical statement yet its long
record of utter utility Washington hasn't had winner
since 1888 and the longer the city has been without
pennant the valuable to my thinking, becomes
IN HIS GYPSY BASEBALL life which has taken him
to Cleveland ST. Louis Chicago and Milwaukee, Veeck al
ways has tried be of the people when you pro-
duce winner for people who have become accustomed to
losing, you releasing enthusiasm that has been
storing up for years You affecting their inner lives
because you telling them that they can still get up
off the floor and be a winner too"
Weeks museum Of memoirs" at Easton contains
eloquent evidence Of where people stand in his promo
tional evaluation. When visited there, the only two
imementos he displayed from championship seasons with
the Indians and White Sox failed to contain single
player
Instead he pointed to blown up photo Of the largest
crowd ever assembled-at that tme-for ball game, 49,
900 in Cleveland and the pn-ba smoke-belching score
board he designed for spectator amusement at Chicago
%%%%
vEECK is NOT NAIVE enough to think his presence
alone the only tonic for Washngton atrophyng base
ball picture 1.-THE thing you have to do is something
he says.
The worse your team u.s. the more money you have
to spend promote it, You have to make the sensational
offer of 100000 and three players for one player OF real
talent.
"If you make that kind of deal you are doing two
things You showing fans you are in there try
ing you also getting baplayer around whom you
can build your team"
He agrees and I'm the current owners who have
poured money without asking questions also agree, that
pennans and contnders cannot be bought But you can
buy responsibility Veeck says I'VE had alocated $780,
900 for Washington player purposes and another three
quarter of million for farm development In other words
we prepared to spend two million in our first year.
Weeks ability to spend money never has been ques-
toned except by his stockholders at Cleveland They were
swept off their feet by the dividend checks they re-
ceved after setting baseballs al-me attendance record
in l948.
His ffy" treatment of the Senators baseball predica-
makes good reading in the Saturday Evening Post
Even Waly Butts might enjoy this one.