[SelzShoes]

Sam Breadon entered the office of his general manager. In the rapid fire month and a half since Germany’s surrender, Rickey had worked tirelessly bringing the “excluded” clubs together in the semblance of a new league. The fragile alliance still faced hurdles, most prominently two clubs still bickering about Saint Louis, but Rickey felt the Contential League was going to make a decent go of it. For now though, Rickey was content of resuming some of the long neglected GM duties.

All of the clubs were facing the same quandary as Rickey; who is on the roster? To that end, Rickey was combing through contracts, both major and minor league, trying to get a handle on who actually was still a Cardinal. Marty Marion had sent notice he was ready to report to spring training when the club needed, but beyond him the roster was a muddle.

Breadon stood in the doorway and cleared his throat. “Have you heard?”

“About the new National Agreement?” The National American League was trying to force through a new arrangement solidifying the majors hold on the minor leagues. In principle, Rickey was in total agreement with what they were trying to accomplish. However, he understood the real purpose of the move was to choke off the pipeline of the minors to any competing League. Word was the minors were heading for a similar spit as the majors as the American Association and International League clubs with working agreement with Contential clubs opposed to its passage.

“The Dodgers have hired Burt Shotton as their GM.” Rickey paused and lifted his head from his work. He had assumed when the matters of league formation were done with, the Dodger job, almost his in 1942, would come to him. “I guess they didn’t know how long you were going to be tied up with me.”

“We still have a team to build here.”

Breadon shook his head. “Branch, if it wasn’t for the shutdown, you and I would have parted company a long time ago. I’m exercising the option in your contract—I’m buying you out. As of midnight tonight you are no longer in the employ of the St. Louis Cardinals. I just had to be sure you weren’t going to a team that I think can beat us. Nothing personal, it is just—I didn’t want you to do for them what you did for me.””

Rickey stood and collected his coat and hat. “I’ll be back to clear out my things in the morning, Sam.”