Relief for the Indians

The Cleveland Indians bloom in the spring, and look pretty on paper, but in 45 years they have won the pennant only once. Every summer Cleveland fans rise up and holler for an Indian's scalp--usually the manager's. This time they wanted to fire the owners.

The situation looked promising to a minor-league mogul and ex-marine named Bill Veeck (rhymes with wreck). He rounded up nine moneymen, including Comedian Bob Hope. Last week they bought the Indians for about $1,750,000.

The first thing Boss Veeck did was to count the customers. The 8,526 who went to see the Indians beat the league-leading Red Sox were a pretty small band. But there were only 22 people in the stands the day Veeck bought the bankrupt Milwaukee Brewers in 1941. Veeck soon put his theory to work in Milwaukee: good baseball for the fans, something extra for those who aren't.

Boogie Woogie & Bases. The extras included boogie-woogie bands and tightrope walkers. He put on a "swing shift" ball game (beginning at 6 a.m.) for night workers in war plants, and gave away sway-back nags and pigeons (without cages) as door prizes.

Ballplayers came in & out of Milwaukee so fast that Veeck liked to say he had three teams--the one that left yesterday, the one playing today, the one coming in tomorrow. After lifting Milwaukee from eighth to first place in the American Association in two years (and the value of the club from $90,000 to $250,000), Veeck joined the Marines. An impish-looking fellow of 33 with a crew haircut and massive face, he was injured at Bougainville, now carries his right leg in a cast.

He won Cleveland sportswriters instantly by confessing: "I'm a publicity hound." They were pushovers anyway for someone who promised to do something about the Indians.

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