Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-04-22
LOCAL BASEBALL PROBLEM
WILL THERE BE A LEAGUE OR
INDEPENDENT TEAM?
Likelihood That Athletic Association
viii not Control the Sport This Sea-
son-Best Players Have Arranged to
Enrn, Indenendent LEAN.

Form independent Team.
large mumber OF baseball en-
thusiasts met in the y, NJ. G. A. rooms
Tuesday evening 10 discuss plans Tor
the sport In Brattleboro during the
coming season. The meeting was
called by the executive committee OF
the Brattleboro athletic association
and G.. L. Durham was chosen as
chairman of the gathering, w. a.
Gilbert being made secretary. III. Is.
Whitaker In behalf of the committee
stated that the object of the meeting
was to get the opinions OF as many
as possible as TO what the town
wanted In the way of basebaH' lie
said that the athletic association had
made no plans In regard TO local
league but would be glad to hear from
any representatives OF organizations
wishing to join such combine
The first matter brought to the at
tention of the meeting was the iact
that a number of the best players IN
town, including Stolte, Ellis waite
Tucker, March and Allen, had assoc
ciated themselves under the name OF
the independent Baseball club OF
Rrottleboro and intended TO run the
season independent of the athletic as
ISOLATION. The question of leasing the
island then came up and II was found
that no team or organization could
secure il for the season but that dates
for games could be secured by apply
ing TO the owners. With matters IN
this shape IL would seem Impossible
for any league or Independent team 20
arrange a schedule covering the en-
tire season.
4 large portion of the evening was
spent I'm discussing the question OF
professionalism from the standpoint OF
The local athletic association, ana
while the talk was interesting II mad
very little bearing on the object Tor
which the meeting was called. IL de-
veIoped however. that several OF the
Y Nj. c. A. basketball players have a
grievance against the association Tor
tabIing certain bills which We're pre-
scented at the close of the season, ana
therefore are unwilling to play base
bail under the associations auspices
this season. In regard TO the iorIna-
ton of a local league the consensus Oh
opinion seemed to be that such n plan
would not prosper unless the best
nlavers in town could be induced to
plav and a number of people eX-
pressed the opinion that If an indie
pendent team were to be formed the
hest thing for the athletic association
TO do was to cut out baseball Tor the
summer.
In srite of the prosperity which the
local league has enjoyed the past two
seasons il seems doubtful II the pro-
iect can be put through successfully
this year. At the close of last year
the interest in local baseball waned'
not so much because the games We're
pIayd AT the fair grounds as for the
reason that the players on some OF
tho teams did not take sufficient IN
terest to put up the best article OF
ball. In order to conduct successtul
local league the teams OF when II
is composed must be not only evenly
matched but capable of playing pas
sable baseball. People will not 'be sat
isfied unless the quality improves
from wear to year. on the other hano
II is doubtful whether an independ-
emf team can be made paying ven
ture. considering the expenses lncl.
dent upon its maintenance ana that
difficulty is apt to be met in arranging
satisfactory schedule. keene, ASH
neIot winchester and Hinsdale nave
formed an alliance known as the
Cheshire county league and have al
ready arranged schedule from May
Il tx to oct. l. Whether local team
could be organized Of sufficient
strength to meet Greenfield, Millers
Falls and mines Of such strength u an
open question.