The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-05-14
RuNG DOWN.

Curtain Dropped On Local Baseball Season.
Lack of Patronage compels MANAGEMENT
to Give up the Game-Team
Disbanded.
Owing to lack of patronage, which has
resulted in the management mourning
heavy losses, the local baseball season
has been brought to an unexpected close
and the team disbanded. 1t was with the |
greatest regret and only after exhausting
every resource, that the Progressive
Unions baseball committee decided to
take this action, but in view of the poor
support they have been acc 1rded by the
fans since the opening of the season there
seemed to be no other course to pursue.
1t looks as though the people of this COM
munity do not want baseball this summer
or, at any rate, they have certainly not
shown a disposition to patroniZe the
games thus far-and the management
concluded that, instead of throwing good
money after bad in an effort 70 keep the
game going, the wisest es&Rse to pursue
would be to shut up shop and let the sea-
son 60 by default.
In addition to the sum invested in the
park lease, dressing equipment, ETC.,
amounting to approximately $3.50, the
management has lost something like SITS
in five games and is not only completely
out of funds, but has an outstanding in
debtedness to meet. 1t had been hoped
that the benefit game proposed for last
Sunday, May s, would net sufficient
amount to maintain the team for several
weeks longer, but owing to the very un-
fortunate and distressing circumstances
which arose at the eleventh hour it became
necessary to call the game off. thus dis
rupting the plans of the management and
adding materially to the losses already in
cured. If there was prospect of condi-
tons lettering themselves in the future
an effort might have been made to hold
the team together while longer, but it
appears that the attendance at the games
is diminishing instead of increasing, the
gate receipts at the last contest, that be-
tween Donaldsonville and Vacherie on
May /, having reached the discouraging
total of only $43. . Under these conditions,
it was apparent that the fans were not
taking the amount Of interest in the sport
which they could reasonably be expected
to evince. and the management was con-
fronted with the hopeless task of attempt
ing to maintain an expensive proposition
without any source of revenue. which was
manifestly impossible of accomplishment
A number of causes might be assigned
for the lack Of attendance, probably the
most important of which are that no ex.
cursion trains are being operated this
summer over the T. and P. Railroad, and
that the trains on the Thibodaux anC
NapoleonvilIe branches of the road, in.
stead of arriving here at about 8 O'Clock II
the afternoon, as in former years, nov
come in as late as 4:2O o'clock. thus pre-
Guiding the attendance at the games o
any of the fans from Bayou Lafourcht
outside of the immediate vicinity of thi
city.
i There is some talk of organizing team
S Of home players. with an imported bat
e terry, to finish the season under other man
S agement than that which has just an
d nounced its retirement from the field, AM
it is to be hoped this project will be &C
complished In the meanwhile, Their
q will be game at Cleveland Park tomor
row afternoon, Ighen the crack S. j. c.
team of this city will try conclusions wit
the speedy ST. Vincent Academy aggre
cation, of Baton Rouge. The game wi
begin at o'clock, and the prices OF &C
mission will be 1Scents for gentlemen an
10 cents for ladies and children. A larG
6 crowd should turn out ITO witness tn
H. game, which gives promise of being ia:
le and interesting exhibition.
Al The following tables show the battin
t. and fielding averages of the local playe
d for the five games which constituted tt
a seasons schedule, as well as the record
III sacrifice hits, stolen bases and hits f
extra bases:
y Wills -- Is i
IN Va Msbs Talbot Hill. 1 1s g !: !