Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 187, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1919 — CLEVELAND INDIANS’ OFFER TURNED DOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CLEVELAND INDIANS’ OFFER TURNED DOWN

Bid of $12,500 for Pitcher Leonard Is Refused. —— r—’■ . ——Li ... Manager Miller Huggins Turns Former Boston Red Sox Hurler Over to Tigers for $2,500 Less Than Jim Dunn Offered. Can you Imagine a ball club disposing of a pitcher -for $2,500 less than the highest bld? Well, such a thing probably wouldn’t happen in any business other than baseball, but such Is the case of “Dutch” Leonard. President Dunn of Cleveland wanted the services of “Dutch” Leonard for the Indians. When it became known that New York was willing to dispose of Leonard the Cleveland magnate at once started to angle for the services of the star southpaw. Dunn realizes that the one and only weak spot on his ball chib . Is his pitching staff. It has been said that a pennant-winning clilb must have a crack southpaw. Working on that theory, Dunn set out to do business with the New York club. Now, it so happens that Miller Huggins of the New York Yankees 19 hopeful of winning an American league pennant for Gotham this year. Huggins is a wise old owl and full well realizes that Cleveland and Chicago loom up as the strongest contenders, with the Boston Red Sox as still a possibility, despite the bad start of that club. No one knew any better than Huggins what the coming of Leonard would do for the Cleveland club.. It would have just about made Cleveland the one best bet In the American league, Huggins realized that he could not afford to so strengthen the Cleveland club and thereby jeopardize to a great extent the chances of his team. It Is a matter of record that Jim Dunn was willing to pay $12,500 for the services of Leonard. He knew that “Dutch” would get him back

several times that amount at, the gate if he made the Indians a stronger pennant contender, if not a winner. Yet Frank Navin of the Detroit club bought Leonard for SIO,OOO, an even $2,500 less than Cleveland was willing to pay. The Detroit club at the time the deal was made was going poorly. The pitching staff of the Tigers was in far worse shape than that of the Indians. New York realized it could sell Leonard to Detroit, strengthening that team, yet in no way lessen the chances of the New York club to win. A mere matter of $2,500 in such a case meani nothing to the millionaire owners o', the Yankees. Such is the tale of why Leonari was lost to Jim Dunn, even though he was willing to raise the ante of Frank Navin.

“Dutch" Leonard.