The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1909-11-20
CRYSTAL FALLS MAY
Be IN U. P. LEAGUE
TALK or EXPANDING MARQUETTE
LEAGUE TO SIX TEAMS
THREE TEAMS FROM EACH RANGE
Iron Mountain. Escanaba The Other Teams
to be Entered From the Msnominss
Range.

The long talked Of inter range base
ball league to include Escanaba. Iron
Mountain and Crystal Falls on the
Menominee and Marquette. Ishpeming
and Negaunee on the Marquette range
has again come TO the front This
time il seems 20 cut more OF a figure
from the fact that I. A. Thoren OF
. Negaunee, president Of the Marquette
Alger league, has prophesied that such
league would probably succeed the
present Marquette Alger league. Mr..
Thoren's statement was made TO "A
Marquette reporter .and the substance
Of IL is as follows
He said that ne mad recently receiv-
cd application for membership TO the
league from Crystal Falls and Iron
Mountain and individual parties in Es-
canada have also si0nided desire to
battle with the Lake Superior towns
for base Dall honors. Because of the
poor showing OF Munising In the sea-
son just passed IL is probable that the
Alger county aggregation will not hg-
ure in the race next year. the gate
receipts at Munising were also very
poor. the town there being small and
the fans there not having taken SUI
Hcient interest in the game. For these
and other reasons strong team could
not be held together there and the at
tendance was unusually small when
ever Munising played because OF the
fact tnat such games were usually one
sided
Though President Thoren did not
commit himself on the point II is
probable that next year Marquette will
be a member OF a sixteam league,
composed of Escanaba Crystal Falls,
Iron Mountain, Marquette. Negaunee
'Hnd ishpeming, says the Marquette
paper. which adds THE fact of It's
being six team league would greatly
enhance the interest that would be
taken In the contest for the pennant.
Though the transportation expenses
would be greater, this would be offset
by increased attendance, The six
towns as far as population Is concern
cd are pretty evenly matched Crystal
Falls. though somewhat larger than
Munising. will be the smallest town
OF the league however the town would
more tnan hold its own because OF the
exceptionally large number OF sports
there.
President Thoren was asked what he
thought OF the feasibility of an upper
peninsula baae bali league. /. o., a
league including Marquette. Ishpem-
ing. Negaunee two teams from the
copper country. Menomniee, Escanaba
Iron Mountain. Ironwood and the Soo
nIf practicable. ne said, 'it would
certainly give the upper peninsula
some good base ball and some great
battles. | doubt. however, whether or
not IL would work as fear the keen
rivalry between the various sections
would eventually nscessItate getting
into professionalism.
The league we had here in the min
ties died on this account. Northern
Michigan hasn't got sufficient popula-
tion. as yet to support professional
base ball Neither could we play Of |
tener than once a week as man play |
ing on both Saturday and Sunday |
would not easily secure position. +"
Most OF the Marquette persons
members of the local club and promin-
ent fans who were interviewed ON the
question Of an upper peninsula base
bali league believed IL practicable, IL
10 were well organized and governed |
by drastic ralers and tract supervision
40 a. 20 stear clear of professionalism.