European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 22 the stars and stripes monday january 20, this is the first of three columns on the problems of major league baseball of the dozens of possibilities in our wide world of sport major league baseball has always been and still is the Apple of this sportswriter s Eye. Thus it saddens him to see our National pastime losing ground in recent years. Major league baseball stands at a Crossroads. The overwhelming problem for some years has been the Lack of Strong leadership either from the commissioner s office or from any individual group of club owners. In times past baseball had Strong leadership in either the commissioner s chair or from the owners or both. Baseball sorely needs such leadership again. The trouble began during the reign of sex commissioner Ford Rick. Prick s tenure was mostly quiet with everything apparently running smoothly. But that was Only on the surface. Underneath some big problems piled up but were never really solved. The present commissioner lame Duck Gen. William Eckert came into baseball at a very difficult time. He was confronted with a deep division Between owner factions and a growing rift Between the owners and the players. He has not brought the owners together and the players association and owners Are on the verge of an open break. It has often been pointed out that Gen. Eckert tried so hard to please everyone that he satisfied no one. Gen. Eckert is out. Those same owners Are now struggling to agree on a new commissioner and at present not making much headway. They la try again feb. 4. Why do we say that baseball is losing ground lacks Strong progressive leadership let s examine three relatively recent major decisions by baseball s leaders. 1. Baseball voted last year to expand Lor the 1969 season two new teams in each league Seattle and Kansas City in the Amer ican and san Diego and Montreal in the National. 2. Baseball decided to switch to division play in both leagues. 3. Baseball has been unable to select a new commissioner an was in our judgment very Clumsy in disposing of its old one Eckert though he s in office until replaced. Now that was the order of events As they happened but the selection of a commissioner is baseball s most crucial item now. Baseball owners in the rival american and National league shave not been working together As they might have in recent years. This was illustrated in the lineup during the balloting fora commissioner to succeed Eckert last month. All of the various candidates associated very closely with one or the other leagues had support from his own Loop but backing in the other was notably lacking. This made it difficult because rules now provide that a com missioner in order to be elected must have nine of 12 votes from each league. Each is a key word Here. Had the requirement been 75 per cent Overall san Francisco Schub Feeney probably would have made it in the Marathon dec. 20-21 meeting. He got the nod from 12 . Clubs and five of the . Teams one Short of 75 per cent or 18 votes. But with the present setup he did t have a Chance. Others in the running included Lee Macphail the Yankee Index Oriole executive who also spent some time working As an aide to Eckerl. His Best was 13 votes. John Mchale sex of Atlanta an now with the expansion Montreal expos once had 15 four from . Owners and possibly would have had a real Good Chanc without the moral obligation to stay with his new club. Highly touted Mike Burke of the Yankees lbs managed eight votes but never really had any general support. Finally after 13 hours until 5 a total of 19 ballot the weary club owners gave it up. Afterwards Francis l. Dale of the Cincinnati reds told a re Porter it was agreed that the commissioner should have unlimited Powers and that he should be a Man who will be Able to participate in and give vital leadership to planning and execution of the restructuring and modernization of baseball As set Forth atthe meeting in san a few weeks later Cleveland owner Gabe Paul a member of baseball s executive Council said that baseball must have a Strong or non when in Lillinn to nc.,.,-.,. A i. I. Kaiserslautern Germany special Bob Jackson scored 31 Points saturday night an came Back with 28 sunday after noon As the Kaiserslautern de fenders swept a com z Western league series from the lands Uhall stars the 94-75 and 90-65 Verdic supped the defenders league record to 7 and kept them tie with the Mannheim cobras for the Loop Lead. Lan Stuhl fell be Low ,50u to 45 with the two set backs. Don Mccorkle and George Williams backed up Jackson oat urday with 13 markers apiece Williams scored 16 Points in Sun Day s win and it Titis Franklin and Don Kennie each contributed10 to the winners cause. Bob Arnold topped the stars both nights scoring 23 on saturday and 21 sunday. Mannheim Germany Spe Cial de Waller poured through 37 Points As Mannheim s cobra stayed in a tie for the com z Western league Lead by outscoring we Bruecken s jets 125-99, Waller John Brodski tallied 23, Ernest Berry added18, Jenkins White 13 and Howard Edmonson 12 for the cobras who were on top 63-42 at the half. The cobras remained tied with Kaiserslautern with 7 records. Sauls shows Way i is -.-b--. .-al.-i. If Jefe i Fuerth Germany special the rangers had to win the com 2 Eastern league games her Over the weekend both teams had that nickname when the seventh army training Center and William 0. Darby entries collided. William 0. Darby prevailed both Days taking saturday s game 111-85, and sundays 115-100. The winners ran their league record to 10 and held a two game Lead Over Herzo base an Bamberg who both sport 8 Marks Billy Sauls sparked the Darby quintet each night with 28 Points. Cial the Bamber i Bison move Diato a with the hem base flyers in the com Eastern league basketball race Veje the weekend by taking two games from the Jinder Barracks panthers. Bamberg sizzled to a 137-87 Victory saturday night and came Batik it Fly scoring it 02-61 triumph_., the wins a league Mark 4 balance both wins. Randy Buss scored20 Points Philco Phillip and Ken Morrow notched 18 apiece and Joe Cal Houn recorded 18, Cal Hoviin s 16 Carl Forbes added 19, Walt her i was High for Bamberg on sunday. _ _ � v a. A non tallied 18, Bob Blacknell added 13 and Rich Tully chipped in with 12 to bolster saturday s followed Sauls on Sun Day with 19 and Blacknell and Tully came through with 18 and 15, James topped the train ing Center team with 30 Point son saturday. Chris Judd tallied 20 and Nate Harris added 13.judd paced the sunday assault with 31, Harris had 22, James scored 20 and Don Brown came through with 10. Bamberg Germany Spe Hill toppers sweep pair from Giessen now 7 Giessen Germany special Frankfurt s Hill toppers took a pair of close victories Over Gies sen s eagles 105-100 saturday commissioner or one who is willing to assume the authority that must be Fine words but will those same owners and their counterpart really abide by them. From some of their past actions we wonder whether or not the commissioner s office possesses the necessary authority to do the Job is a Good question. Baltimore s Jerry Hoff Berger often called the Leader of the Young turks Amon owners has some interesting comments. He says that the office does have plenty of authority that the commissioner has to do is take it. He adds that the commissioner like any Good executive must try to sell his ideas to the Here is a key idea. The new commissioner must be a Man with sufficient Back ground in baseball to develop ideas that will really help baseball then have the courage and ability to really sell them to owner son both sides. If he can do that baseball will have taken a by step. � but first of the owners must put aside their Petty bickering perhaps alter their 75 per cent requirement in each league for legislation and get together on a Good Man. And probably they Llave to up the Ante from $85,000 quite a bit like $100,000to get a really first class executive. And preferably As quickly As possible. Unbeaten knights snare two More bad sibling Germany special a late arriving Chuck Washington sparked unbeaten Munich to a series sweep in com z Southern Loop As the league leading knights edged bad sibling 105-101, in overtime Sun Day after winning 111-97 Satur Day. Washington who played with Agerman club in Stuttgart sunday morning arrived just before the half ended and scored 23 Points to go with 30 by Knight Leader Jay Williams. De Duffy hit 21 for the losers who led 43-39 at the half. It was tied 95-95 at the end of regulation play. Washington and Williams Allied 41 and 31 saturday As Munich 8 had a 56-55 inter Mission Edge. James Duke scored 21 and Bud senscnbach18 for bad sibling now 5. And 98-97 sunday to increase their com z Northern league leading margin. The � Milton apr Scott in league play a full two games Over Idle Berlin. Giessen dropped to 3. A wrong Way bucket by an Eagle player into the Hill Topper net broke the backs of the Eagle sunday in the late going after Giessen had led 51-47 at the also led by an identical margin at halftime in the sat urday tilt six players hot the Well balanced Hilltop Pershad six players in double Fig ures in both games. In sunday s game Bob Gregory led the Way with 22 Points Fol Lowed by John Sieford and Bill win with 14 each Willie Brown and Charles Rudd with 12 apiece and Charles Harrell with 10. Ron Johnson who hit a whop with Phillips adding 14 and mor Row u. Dick Adams topped the loser both nights netting so in the first defeat and 27 on sunday. Joe Lemon contributed 18 on saturday and Mike Paige had 17. Paige came through with 14 sunday. Herzog Nakrach Germany special the Mer Rill Barracks panthers and Herz base flyers divided their week end series Here in com z East Ern league action. Merrill took the saturday opener 92-89, As five players hit in double figures. Herzo blew 15-Point Lead late in the game but rallied for an 85-81 Triumph sunday. The panthers had Quinton Bradley with 29 Points saturday while Clevel Scott hit 18, Ken George 18, Marcus Mcdonald m and Reginald Haywood 13. The led 54-47 at the half Bob Lohse scored 27 and cur Crittendon 28 for the losers who hit 21 of 24 free , Lohse tallied 32, Crit i Tendon 24 and Don Bollard 12 for28, an Bradley 16, Mcdonald 16george 16 for Merrill. Bad to Viz tips Dachau. Evens Mark bad Stoelz Germany special the bad Tolz rams took two games from Dachau Over the weekend to even their com z Southern league record at 4. Calvin Saunders flipped in 40points and Albert Beasley added 16 in a 108-89 Victory saturday night. Dachau got 20 from dwon Dunlap and 18 from Leroy Wood Yin defeat. The visitors gave the rams aping 41 saturday again took tougher Battle sunday afternoon game honors sunday with 25. Eagle teammates Sylvester Luckett added 23, Dave Farr 18, Clarenc Pike 17 and Steve Braun who contributed an outstanding floor game 10. Finally bowing 97-92, for their eighth straight loss. Gene bark or paced bad Stoelz with 20points, Saunders followed with 18 and Dave Pinkis and Dav Worrell recorded 16 apiece. Bears spilt with Worms Berlin special Berlin s bears rallied for a100-97 Victory in overtime to split their exhibition series with the Worms wolverines who too saturday s opener 99-86. The bears who trailed by 18 Points with only8.56 remaining sunday finally tied it 90-90 on James Moore s 10-foot jumper with Only two seconds left in regulation play. Tom Turner and de Mailett combined for nine of the bears 10points in the extra session in the tight game which saw seven players foul out four for the losers. For the com z Northern league bears sunday Turner scored 21 Points Eric Sorenson got of his 17 in the first half Fred Mason 15, Moore 12, Nolan Robinson 11 and Mallatt 10.the wolverines of the Western league had Rich Davis with 26 Points Bill Mcquee with 20,Paul boumans with 18, Ernie Reed with 12 and Larry Jordan with 10.in saturday s tilt John Bailey of Worms topped scorers with 21 followed by teammates Davis with 20. Jack Belz with if and boumans and Reed with 18 each. For Berlin Sorenson garnered18, Turner 17, Moore and Robinson 13 apiece and Leon Weaver ii
