Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-01

Who. Wednesday. Led Portland New
England League Team to Victory.
| believed il does today Not until this
season has the hope materialized FOR
return o. the professional game. Fall
River vas IN serious financial straits
and WAS placed upon the market. Port
land reached-.and grasped. Bills Mere
paid TO enable holding of the franchise
and Massachusetts lost one team. de-
spite the desires of the Bay State mug
mates to keep the circuit as compact as
possible to avoid heavy travelling eX-
penses.
Leonard Starts Things.
The first man to suggest bringing
the team to Portland was Frank j.
Leonard of Lynn. veteran manager
who had had teams in both Lewiston
and Portland Mr.. Leonard came To
Portland, found the city at a fever
heat for baseball and supposing that
he had an option on The Fall River
team, proceeded to make plans for
coming here, even going so far as to
take lease of the Forest avenue
grounds But when the league came
to dispose of the franchise it turned
a deaf ear to Mr.. l.eonards claims
md awarded the Fall River team To
Hugh Duffy, the veteran manager and
| former Boston PLAYER
| While Mr.. Leonard has many friends
| here. and while most of these friends
| elieve he was not fairly used, ii was
| admitted On all sides that what the
| league did was the best thing for the
| organization and this city.
Duffy Well Known.
No man in the country is better
known in baseball than Duffy. and
this fact alone gave him a prestige
that has helped and will help the
game immensely in this city.
But after Duffy got the franchise
there grew up a doubt whether he
would bring the team to this city af-
ter all. The new manager was said
to be very strongly inclined toward
Fall River and rather thought he
might go there. But he was finally
induced to visit Portland aud after
he had dane so there was no longer
any doubt as to where the team would
| be located
Next came the question Of grounds
which those interested in the game
here had promised to build for Duffy.
|
, park. which had been the New Eng
land league playground since 1885,
] was not available and many were OPP
posed 10 crossing the harbor into
South Portland where the Pine Tree
| grounds were located.
Many suggestions were offered and
/, | considered hut the problem was not
) solved until an offer came from the
| V ,f at
,, of Boyd street, on the condition that
/, if grounds wire britt there they
, should be available for the school
teams. There was no difference OF
opinion when this preiect Was sug-
gested and an association WAS inn
mediately formed and stock subscrip-
lions solicited.
The New Park.
The result has been what is seer
! at the old dump today where one
of the first baseball parks in any
minor league city ia the country il
prac tically completed. A grand stant
, he's been erected to seat 800 peapl
and bleachers with 4 seating capacit'
ef 1000 have also been cunstruc ted
The stand viii b. provided with iroi
opera chairs such as are found Ia IN
r blS league 3fDulluS anu bi' ti'N ~
: To a game in Portland this summe
:, and find practically all The advan
I tagcs that he would in Boston or Nev
4 York.
$ OF course when il had once bee
: settled that he would have a team II
o Portland, Manager Duffy At once tool
steps To organize one that would b
| a credit to the city.
g He had the Fall River team To star
y with and while thTs orea aiz ton di
o. not make a very good showing tn
year before there was a very good req
n son for ii in that the players wer
0 not receiving their salaries. Indjsidu
o ally the men were recognized as goo
y as any in the league.
3 After trying out no end Of young
sters, Duffy has found that this wa
Q probably true. for when he goes Ii
OF against Lowell this afternoon he wi
/, / practically stand pat on his old team
oil These consist of Hayden catcher
o Bowcock, second base; Yelle, thir
base; Hickman, short stop; Merrill