New-York tribune., 1910-01-30
SPORTS OF THE DAY
BASEBALL ON JUMP.
Playing Dates for the Giants
ON Their Training Trip.

Baseball holds a place in popular favor
that is little short of remarkable. The
strength and soldity of the sport have been
emphasized from time to time in one way
or another, but by nothing so much as the
tendency In the last two years to build new
parks enlarge the old ones to provide
for greater seating capacity.
Last season the Pittsburg Pirates and the
Philadelphia Athletics christened new in
closures built on a huge scale and at cost
of thousands of dollars. while the New
York Giants remodelled the old stands and
built new ones to accommodate thirty
thousand fans" Brooklyn, too, enlarged
the capacity of the stands and made for
the greater comfort of followers of the
sport
This year the Cleveland Club, of the
American League, will open brand new
park, with concrete and steel stands which
will seat twenty thousand persons, and
which is said to be one of the finest in the
country. More improvements are being
made at the Polo Grounds so as to increase
the seating capacity OF the grandstand and
provide new entrance from the hill back
OF the grounds, while the Philadelphia club
OF the National League will build new
stand if the steel can be secured in time
Charley Comiskey, owner of the Chi
cago club of the American League, is au-
thority for the statement that the big new
home of the White Sox will be formally
opened on July l.
Without an exception the new park
will be among the finest in the land" said
MIR. Comiskey, "and we will profit by the
experiments of the other owners, who have
built great plants during the last two sea-
sons. The new stands and bleachers will
have embodied in them all the features
that have made Forbes Field. at Pittsburg,
and Shibe Park at Philadelphia, stand out
as the most magnificent plants in the
country. In addition to this a great num-
Der Of innovations will be installed that
10 other park can boast of.
Work on the new grounds will be start
ed as soon as the frost leaves the ground
The opening day at the park will be the
cause for monstrous turnout, and it is
my plan to have every state in the Union
represented by a delegate, who will be
here as my guest. Yes, and the Irish sod
Will be there, too"
Next year. or at least in the next few
years, the New York Yankees, Detroit IL
gers and Cincinnati Reds will move into
new homes. if present plans are carried
out, while Boston fans" are also looking
forward to new and improved park to
enjoy their sport. There is talk of Frank
Farrell building huge stadium that will
seat fifty thousand persons, at 227th street
and Broadway, as a new home for the Yam
KEGS. So it goes, and all because the fans"
are growing in numbers at surprising
rate.
The New York Giants will play nine ex-
hibition games on their way north from
Texas nd Will
time to meet Yale for the opening game at
the Polo Grounds on April 9, which falls on
Saturday. This glimpse must satisfy the
fans for a time. as the first league game
at home Is not scheduled until April %
The Yankees and the Giants take turns in
opening the season in this city, and this
year the former will ring the curtain up
at American League Park on April a.
The Giants will break camp at their
training quarters at Marlin Springs, Tex,
on March 26, and will then work north,
playing the first exhibition game of the re-
turn trip at Shreveport, La, on March %
The schedule follows:
March 2S. Shreveport, La: March So
Birmingham, Ala. March 81. Atlanta; April
l, Greenville, S. c.; April 2. Greensboro,
n. c.; April 4 and 3, Norfolk. Va: April 6,
Richmond, Va: April Z. Baltimore: April 9.
1ale, at the POlO GROUNDS.
The second team will play only three ex-
hibition games this year-one at Roanoke,
Va. on April 4, and two at Lynchburg, Va.
on April and S.
Entries for fifteen stakes to be decided
at the spring meeting OF the Westchester
Racing Association at Belmont Park will
close on February 10. The value of the Met
ropolitan Handicap. at one mile, has been
raised to 5000 Other historic stakes to be
renewed include the Withers, of $4,000. for
three-year-olds; the National Stallion, of
Sc, 200; the Laureate, of $500. and the Juve-
nile. Of $500. for two-year-olds. and the
Ladies' Of $1,000. for three-year-olds 1t is
announced that the value of the overnight
purses will be increased over last year II
the attendance tustifies the extra outlay.
Melvin w. Sheppard, of the Irish Amer
lean Athletic Club must now stand trial
on charges growing out of a meeting in
which he took part at Philadelphia last De-
cember, following his suspension by the
Military Athletic League late on Friday
night. Opinion was divided yesterday
among the athletes as to the probable out
come. Some contended that his standing
as an amateur was in danger, while others
made light Of the charges and suggested
would escape with warming.
Iron Man. McGinnity, playing manager
of the Newark club of the Eastern League
arrived from the West yesterday to lay
his plans for the coming season He
laughed at the reported sale of the New
ark club. and said:
The Newark club hasn't been sold nor
isn't for sale / did want to sell the club
after p. T. Powers was reelected presi-
dent of the league, but when I cooled down
I changed my mind. You couldn't buy the
club--that is, you couldn't buy It for less
than $4,000. No, you couldn't buy IL for
that price. II isn't for sale. 1
When the Newark club is for sale I
will give Newarkers the first chance to buy
it. I own 80 shares in the club and H.
c. Smith, Of Chicago, owns 80 shares
There are 233 shares all told. Mr.. Smith
and myself are fast friends, and we get
along splendidly together. He has con-
hdence In me, and never questions my 1udg-
ment in matters pertaining to the club"
McGinnity has been playing baseball in
Oklahoma this winter. and appeared to be
in fine condition. He says he discovered
three players who may shine with Newark
this year in Chris. Hotz, a catcher: Cliff
ford Patterson. pitcher, and Claude Haw-
kins, an infielder.
Robert Spade, who as q "hold-out'
pitcher of the Cincinnati National League
team attracted cCnsidera hIa attautiop 10