Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

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The first round of turmoil began in late September of 1936. Rumors floated around the American League that the Indians might have illegally signed pitcher Bob Feller. Still a high school student, the seventeen-year-old phenom had pitched sparingly throughout the season, but in the latter part had managed to break the American League strikeout record. Feller and his incredible fastball had brought comparisons to the great Walter Johnson and all the other speed ball kings. The Cleveland front office daydreamed of the pennants the youngster from Van Meter, Iowa, would surely bring.

The dream turned into a nightmare when, on September 23, Ed McAuley of the Cleveland News broke the unpleasant story. The Indians beat reporter had uncovered evidence that Feller had signed directly with Cleveland and not a minor league club. The Major League rules of 1936 stated that teams could not sign a player straight out of high school. The rule read, “Major League clubs shall sign as free agents only college players and players who have previously contracted, or accepted terms, or had service, with any Minor or Major League clubs.” This rule was introduced five years previously when minor league clubs were overwhelmed by the Great Depression and did not have the means to compete with the American or National League clubs for raw talent.