Baseball games ended, but 1920 continues to make news about the changing game. On October 13, 1920, the Chicago grand jury resumed their investigation of gambling in baseball leading to ballplayers intentionally losing games. On the front page the next day, the story notes the grand jury wants to speak with Abe Attell, a featherweight boxing champion, and enlisted Giants manager John McGraw to help locate the fighter.

On the sports page, a conflict between the powers in baseball begins to brew.

A joint meeting of the club owners of both leagues has been called for Chicago next Monday. The announced purpose is to arrange for a new controlling body in baseball to supplant the National Commission. It has been given out by friends of Ban Johnson, the power behind the National Commission, that Johnson will fight this proposal to the end.

The call for the meeting is backed by William Veeck, president of the Chicago Cubs; Charles Comiskey, owner of the White Sox; Barney Dreyfus, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates; John A. Heydler, president of the National League, and Charels A. Stoneham, president of the New York Giants.

New York Tribune

This is the outline of the personalities that over the coming weeks will wrestle over overarching structure of the game. Heydler and Johnson led the coalitions. Both were innovators that helped turn the game into what we know today. By this time, however, Heydler was ready to cede power as NL president to preserve the game, while Johnson would not budge. It’s the pragmatist against the idealist.