Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-21

NOT POPULAR
IN BALTIMORE
Baltimore Fans, Formerly ACCus-
toned to Major League Ball,
Dissatisfied With Minors.

If ever the sign, Rooms to Let"
is hung out In the National or Am
erican leagues, or If is possible to
gain admission in any other way,
Baltimore may graduate from the
Eastern League. Financially, minor
league ball is paying well in the
Monumental City, but for a~rousing
general interest the game, under
present conditions, is almost a fail
ure there. And little wonder. Though
the Eastern League is as fast, if not
faster, than any other minor league
organization, and the brand of ball
is little different from that in the
major leagues, Baltimore is yearning
for b~ig-league ball. The city has had
a taste of both National and Ameri-
can League ball, and no greater
teams ever graced the diamond than
those which lourished once upon a
time in the Maryland burg. Is 1t
very surprising, then, that the base
ball cranks have not become recon-
ciled to a minor league team?
Moses N. Frank, president of the
Baltimore club, in a chat recently,
went owe the baseball situation in
the Oriole town. Said he:
Having had a taste of big league
ball, and, being a city larger than
Detroit, now on the American League
circuit, Baltimore is just hungering
for q return of those old days. They'll
tell you frankly, the fans will, that
an Eastern League game, viewed as
a single contest, is an enjoyable as a
major league battle, the difference
between the two being so little, but
somehow or other the crowd consid-
ers it something like a degradation,
their sinking into a minor league.
Our team is playing fine ball, we
have large attendance at all the
games and the club is making money,
but we can't stop that craving for
major league ball.
Tho people that do turn out at
our Eastern League games are most
ly those of the younger generation.
The old-timers+those who have seen
the Baltimore team in the days of
old, the team which won the pennant
three years in a row in the National
League and then saw those players
drift into other cities to win pennants
there-pay almost no attention to
our Eastern League team. Some OF
them absolutely ignore it. To re-
yive any of that old-time interest 1t
will be necessary to win the cham
pionship. Our team is putting up a
fine article of ball, but a little hard
luck has kept us out of first place.
We've lost sixteen games so far by
the margin of a run"
The sentiment of the people on
Eastern League ball in Baltimore
was expressed in the following little
incident:
Not long ago a Newark baseball
enthusiast drifted into Baltimore,
and the first thing he did to make
himself acquainted was to talk base
ball.
We'll, you've got a good team this
season." remarked the stranger to a
fellow-guest at one of the hotels.
yes, that Johns Hopkins College
team is stepping some," replied the
Baltimore man.
81 mean your regular team-tho
team that represents the city" came
from the visitor.
(Which team? What do you
mean? We have no regular team.
oh you mean that club down the
other end of the town, that Eastern
League team. don't know anything
about that. Scarcely ever notice
whether it wins or loses. That's Tor
the kids to follow. We haven't had
"a ball team here since the old Ma
tional League days"
Such was the drift of the CONVEX
sation.
Again It may be said, no wonder.
How would New York feel if an East
ern League club were to replace the
Giants or the Yankees? How would
Newark feel if a Hudson River
League team were to take the place
of the Eastern League club. Buff
falo and Providence have both had
major league ball, but that was years
ago, and the old feeling has almost
entirely died out.
Scan your eye over the National
and American League teams and you
will see the old Baltimore stars now
playing winning ball for other cities.
In place of McGraw. Bresnahan, Nc
Ginnity and Seymour. now on the
worlds champions; Keller, with The
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