Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

14 страница из 104

When the anti-Johnson owners were ready to make a change, Johnson became seriously ill, causing the militants to put him on indefinite leave. Rumors started circulating on who could possibly replace the only president the American League had ever had. Among the names floated was in fact Cleveland Indians president Ernest Barnard. The only thing holding him back was his commitment to Mrs. Dunn. But he could also presume that, for Mrs. Dunn, selling the team was the only prudent thing to do. She could bow out of the picture with a large return on her late husband’s investment. She would not have to go through the difficult process of hiring a new team president and support staff. It was reasonable to assume that Mrs. Dunn would not stand in the way of Barnard’s rise to power. The time to walk away had arrived.

In May 1927, a possible sale of the Cleveland Indians was reported throughout the country. The man stepping forward was, surprisingly, former player-manager and current Washington Senator Tris Speaker. It had been four months since he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by Commissioner Landis. Apparently, Tris felt it was time to step back into the spotlight once again. He revealed his plans at a fancy banquet dinner in Cleveland. He told curious reporters that, if necessary, he could raise $500,000 within twenty-four hours. Speaker’s partner would be his close friend Dave Jones, the president of Geometric Stamping. There might be a third party ready to invest, but the name was kept out of the story. Speaker believed Mrs. Dunn had no objections to selling him the team. Even if that was so, the majority of American League owners had to approve the transfer. He had more than a few hurdles to overcome.