Arizona republican., 1912-04-02
Season Opens Today With Six Contenders for the Coveted Flag High Class Ball In Spite of Adverse Conditions.
Portland at Los Angeles. Vernon at Sacramento. Oakland at san Francisco.
LEAGUE FINISH OF 1911

West of St. Louis this is ghe most important day in the calendar of SpOrtdom for it marks the official opening of the baseball season in the Pacific Coast league, the only class A league in the west; q league which provides much stellar material for the big leagues ana which is said to play the fastest baseball in the world outside of the National ana American organizations.
 Conditions surrounding the Pacific Coast league are unusual and it works under handraps which the eastern teams wot not of: It takes a rather SiZeable city to support the A class of ball, and so far only four towns on the coast have been found equai to the task, although it is al- together likely that in another year or two San Diego, anu Seattle will be ready for admission thus rounding out the playing schedule and reduc- ing the enormous expense Involved in the long jumps.
 For example when the Los Angeles and Vernon teams jump to or fr0r
  ney of two days, and m expense os hundreds of dollars. San Francisco and Oakland are sixteen hours from Los Angeles. and Portland is thirty hours from san Francisco.
 There are two teams in Los Ange- les which gives that city continuous baseball throughout the season with in fifteen minutes trolley ride of th- center of the city yet for political reasons never incorporated within thc city limits Games are played twice a week on the Vernon grounds to save the charter: the rest of the time the Vernon team plays on the regu- lar Los Angeles grounds.
 The same condition prevails in San Francisco where the Oakland team plays only an occasional game on the home" grounds the rest of the dates being filled in San Francisco. Sac ramento and Portland worry along with one team and half a season without games
 Because of the long jumps the teams play week stands at eaCo place and sometimes a team will re- main for two weeks in Portland This has not affected the interest in the game. and last season one of ;he closest anI most exciting finishes in the history of the league occurred when Portland just nosed out Vernon for the flag.
 Eddie Mair, president and Happy Hogan manager of the Vernon team are issuine statements as fast as their stenographers can write them to the effect tht the 1912 rag is as good as won, ana as a matter of fact the Vernon team really does look good.
 Judge McCredie of Portland is equally confident while San Francisco says there is nothing to it but s. F..
 Los Angeles. the tail enders of last year have been materially strength ened and Hen Berry the team owner modestly ayers that his base trotters will be in the first division when it is all over. That is what Sacramento ana Oakland say too. Somebody is likely to b&e disappointed. but it's q long road. and an interes ting pros pect.
 The season this afternoon opens with Portland at Los Angeles. Yer non at Sacramento, and Oakland at San Francisco. Big celebrations have been planned in each city with auto mobile parades. flag raisings and speeches while the mayors will toss the first ball over the platter in the time hOnored fashion and the bands will play. and the thousands of eager fans who have been waiting for months for the day of days will i'm plore their favorites to line CT out" and a couple of minutes thereafter will ask pertinent personal questions as to the eyesight and antecedents of the umpires. Then the baseball sea- son of 1912 will be on.
 In the big leagues the season will open in ten days.
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