Document of the Month: Fall 1998

This issue presents a letter from Warren Giles of the Reds to Fred Saigh of the Cardinals, dated June 16, 1945, which makes clear that Happy Chandler wouldn't be given the same leeway Judge Landis enjoyed:

"I believe the only way we can get the type of leadership we want from Chandler is for the sixteen club representatives to sit down in a room and with him present tell him what we believe the job entails. At the same time we should find out from him just when he intends to take over and if it is not at a date that suits us then tell him that we want him to assume his duties at a specific date. If as you say he advocates the use of crippled veterans on major or minor league teams and advocates the hiring of Babe Ruth as an instructor or good will builder for baseball he should be told that those sort of programs are not what we want.

"I don't mean by that, that we should dictate a commissioner's policies entirely but we should ascertain whether or not he intends to inaugurate 'crack pot' ideas. If he does and insists upon them as part of his program then we should do what we can to get out of any obligation we have to continue him."

Compiled by Doug Pappas. All rights reserved.
Originally published in the Fall 1998 issue of Outside the Lines, the SABR Business of Baseball Committee newsletter.