Perennial weaklings in the American League, the St. Louis Browns are the only major-league baseball team that has never won a pennant. Last year at home they drew only 92,000 spectators all season, not many more than the New York Yankees draw on one good day. The St. Louis Browns have been for sale ever since their owner, Philip De Catesby Ball, died three years ago, but not until last week was baseball rocked by the news that the sale of the Browns had finally been consummated. Buyer was a syndicate of St. Louis sportsmen headed by President Donald Lee Barnes of American Investment Co. of Illinois and Public Loan Corp. Formed with $500,000, the syndicate paid $325,000 for the club, plans to spend $175,000 improving it.
In baseball circles last week the sale of the Browns was generally regarded as a master stroke on the part of shrewd General Manager Branch Rickey of the Browns' National League rivals, the highly successful St. Louis Cardinals. The St. Louis park in which both Cardinals and Browns play belongs to the Ball estate. The Cardinals, who attract bigger crowds on tour than they do at home, have long wanted to play night games, permissible in their league. Because night games have been banned in the American League, the owners of the Browns refused to install lights. Last week, by threatening not to buy and improve the team unless they were permitted to play night games, the new syndicate wangled approval from the American League. Next summer, consequently, both Browns and Cardinals can play at night.
Famed for his farm system of developing players from the minor leagues, General Manager Rickey last week showed himself capable of applying the same system to executives. Ever since he left the Browns in 1917 to become President of the Cardinals, Branch Rickey has been grooming a young assistant named William O. DeWitt, whom he sent through law school. In the Barnes syndicate, William O. DeWitt will function as the Browns' general manager. Placing a protégé with the Browns and getting night-game equipment installed at Sportsman's Park were by no means all Branch Rickey got out of the Browns-to-Barnes deal. For promoting it, his commission was estimated at $25,000.