[SelzShoes]

“I appreciate the visit, but Lou, don’t you think we should wait until we have a formal owner’s meeting to talk about the future of the leagues.” Yawkey and Perini had met several times since Perini’s group had bought the Braves. It was an uneasy relationship for Tom Yawkey, a man competing for the same dollars attempting to be ‘friends’. Yes, they had similar interest in getting the leagues started again, but this was a man who apparently was willing to spend money to bring a competitive squad to Braves Field. Despite the smarmy sentimentality of that one movie, Gimbel’s and Macy’s did not really get along. Boston did not lack for baseball fans, but Tom Yawkey felt it could use more Red Sox fans. Perini wanted something; it bothered Yawkey tremendously to not know what.

The meeting was barely old enough for idle chatter, let alone jumping right to the point. Lou could sense the unease in Yawkey’s words. Their previous meetings had been friendly, if a bit sterile. Perini understood the manufactured distance; if the Braves were the baseball power in town, his reaction would be the same. “Well Mr. Yawkey,” Perini spoke slowly and deliberately, uncertain of how warmly his ideas would be received, “perhaps we don’t want all the owners involved with this.” Yawkey sloshed his drink around in his glass, letting the word soak through.

“Go on,” curiosity had been piqued. Perini’s heart jumped; the concept of exclusion, even if the extent unknown was not rejected out of hand.

“It seems to me if, speaking theoretically, if we wanted to make changes to baseball, its structure if you will, now would be the time to do it, right?” A tentative nod answered as Yawkey tried to get a handle on how sweeping of change the Braves chief was looking at. “Say a team wanted to change its situation, like getting out of a two team city . . .”

“Like Boston?”

“Yes, like if we wanted to move the Braves to another city, now would be an ideal time to do so.”

“Because the Red Sox aren’t going anywhere.” Yawkey was clearly pleased with the thought of having Boston to himself, no longer needing to worry about if the other team in town should steal patrons from his park. All the press, all the fans would Red Sox focused. “But are you going to convince the Phillies to move as well, because Mack isn’t going anywhere.”

“Maybe we don’t give Mack a choice. Maybe we don’t ask the Athletics back and just let them fade out of existence.”

“Are you suggesting we tell Connie Mack to get out of baseball?” The idea of the grand old man of the game being forcibly retired was nothing short of blasphemy.

“The Depression nearly ruined him and the time off couldn’t have made his financial situation any better. The A’s are done with or without Mack—at least the chap that bought the Phillies has fresh capital to put into the club. Connie, for all he has done for the game just can not field a competitive squad anymore.”

Yawkey sat down; Perini was speaking the truth. Ever since Connie dismantled his dominating club of the late twenties the Athletics had faded to irrelevancy and near insolvency. Mack, unlike other owners, made his living strictly off baseball. His plight, while heartbreaking to those who knew him, was becoming an embarrassment to baseball. “We could convince him to sell, or at least give him a chance to prove to himself he can’t make a go of it?”

“If we resume play and have franchises fold, it would be bad for baseball. Now is the time to make changes.”

“Who else do we not invite back?”

“Both of the Saint Louis clubs.” Perini knew both teams had been eyeing Milwaukee for a possible move; their opposition could prevent his planned move.

“Browns lose, make no money; Cardinals win, and still make no money. Damn shame. But wouldn’t one team do well there?”

“As it stands now, a move requires unanimous approval from a league. If Breadon wants to block a move; then we stay in Boston. But if we reorganize the league into something else, moving a club should not be difficult.”

“So to have Boston, I need to get rid of Saint Louis. Doesn’t seem right.” The conflict in Yawkey’s voice was pronounced. Perini was making sense, from a business standpoint. Connie Mack, St. Louis, getting rid of those clubs only made the Red Sox a more valuable commodity. Still, had the line always been baseball was more than just another business. A public utility of sorts, isn’t that the line always used to gain favor from the neighborhoods and politicians? “That would leave 13 clubs, we’d have to cut at least one more team.”

Perini quickly made the argument for eliminating the Reds, another team on shaky financial footing since nearly folding during the Depression. “But I think you are missing the point on the Saint Louis clubs. We keep them out of the loop while we change the landscape—the only reason to exclude them is to allow the Braves to move without protest.”

“Still, three teams in New York, two in Chicago—goes against your idea of paring down the multiple teams cities.”

“There is a group of actors who want to get into baseball, I think we could arrange a meeting with the Comisky estate—that could open up the west coast for us.”

“And New York?”

“We do something like we’re doing with Saint Louis. Invite one in, and then see who wants to play ball. I suggest the Giants; Manhattan is too valuable a territory to up a leave.”

Yawkey smiled big, “And make the damn Yankees beg to join us. I love the idea.” The American League had tried for years to find a way to check Yankee dominance, they finally had a chance. Play by our rules or don’t play at all.

When he had finished, Yawkey had come around somewhat. “I’ll speak to Briggs and Griffith—I think Bradley wants to sell and this can only assure a higher price for him. The only question mark would be the White Sox, I don’t know if they have ever gotten that mess straightened out since Louis died. How do you think the National owners will go?”

“Cox is like me, bought the interest during the shut down; the Benswenger family wants out like Bradley. Wrigley worries me, he can be forward thinking and stuck in the past all at the same time—but a solid majority should sway him.”