The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-02
IRI-STATE LEAGUE
OF EIGHT CLUBS
ADVOCATED
Northampton Ready to Push
the Organization
TO ABSORB TWlN-STATE
Northampton, PlttsfeId, Bennington,
North Adams, Greenfield, 5ratte-
boro, Bellows Falls and keene

Northampton is the latest candi-
date for admission to the baseball cir
cult. Some of the fans in that city
have awakened to the idea that "the
good old summer time" without a
baseball team is duller than home
without a baby. Northampton was
in the Connecticut league early last
season but the town couldn't stand
the pace set by the larger communi-
ties and dropped by the wayside. La
ter in the season there was a move
ment to reorganize the Pittsfeld,
North Adams and Bennington league
with Northampton as a fourth mem
Der but North Adams blew up and
the scheme failed to materialize.
Northampton is now ready to get
into the game 1t is by far the larg-
er town available for a circuit and
certainly ought to be able to hold up
its end against the smaller communi-
ties. The Northampton idea is to
organize an eight-team association
with the euphonious name of the Trl-
Estate league and to comprise the
towns of Northampton, Pittsheld,
Greenfield, and North Adams in
Massachusetts,, Bennington, Brattle-
boro, and Bellows Falls in Vermont
and Keene in New Hampshire.
The baseball fans in Northampton
are convinced that Independent base
ball has seen its day and with this
view the majority of the people in
terested in the game in Bennington,
North Adams and Pittsfeld will con-
cur. For one reason the travelling
teams capable of playing the kind of
ball demanded want too much money
for guarantees and then there is no
spirit of rivalry to keep up the inter
est
Brattleboro, Keene and Bellows
Falls were the successful teams in
the Twin-State league last year and
the local associations in the three
towns are planning TO keep up the
sport this year. Charlestown-Spring.
field was the fourth team in this cir
cult last year but the experience OF
one season showed that the two com
bined communities were not large
enough to support a professional team
and Brattleboro, Keene and Bellows
Falls are looking for a fourth town to
complete the circuit. Some interest
has been awakened in Greenfield, but
not much progress has been made as
yet.
One difficulty toward the organizing
of an eightteam league in the towns
proposed is presented in the situation
in the Connecticut river valley. The
Twin-State league last year did not
start the season until July 1 and the
sentiment in that section is that two
months OF summer baseball is sufiici
emit In Massachusetts and Benning
ton, experience has shown that the
greater interest and best attendance
prevailed during June and July. The
rough going has always been met il
August and in the latter half OF thai
month the gate money has seldom
been sufficient to meet expenses.
It would add much to the Interest
Of the sport in Bennington could tn,
team here this year have as oppon
ents the clubs in the Connection
valley. There was considerable ri
valry in August of last yea
between this section and the
towns over the mountain as was evi
denced by the attempt to arrange 1
series for the state championship
with the Brattleboro association
which won out in the Twin-Stat,
league. 1t will,however, be useles.
to argue for season that shall no
open until July 1.
The proposal for an eight-club cir
cult comes from Sporting Editor d. S
Sullivan of the Northampton Dali,
Gazette in a letter to Edward S. Hig
gins who has managed the Benning
ton team during the past three sea
sons. Mr.. Sullivan states that North
ampton is ready to go more than hal
way to start things in motion. Hi
letter would seem to indicate tina
Northampton can be depended upol
whether or not the Connecticut vale,
associations are able to see thei
way clear to join. The larger IN,
league, the more mutual advantag,
would be derived by each individual
team for the reason that Il would b.
possible to make up a schedule witt
sufficient games for an entire season
and to practically eliminate the tray
cling aggregations OF which the pub
lie, In Bennington at least, have be
come wparipd