Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-14

V The Turtles are on the
road now, but they get
back July II for a long stay. Eight
cen games on the home lot are sched-
uled. Ordinarily this would bring JOY
to the hearts of the local fans, but in
view OF the fact that the Coleman ag-
gregation has been playing Glass c
ball for some time. the announcement
will probably bring nothing but wrin-
kles to the brows of the official scorer
and the pop boys who will be com
PEELED to witness them.
Unless something is done before
that long home series is unreeled the
sessions are going to be pathetic.
That interest in the Turtles doings
has sagged pitifully was evidenced
when a scant 5000 witnessed the
game of Sunday July g. If the Tur-
ties can't draw a crowd in a Sabbath
game with the league leaders, then it
stands to reason that a continuation
OF poor playing will mean empty
benches during the week days,
The situation is distressing, because
Memphis is by long odds the best
baseball city in the league. despite the
claims of Atlanta, Birmingham and
Mobile. Given team that would
make a decent and respectable show
ing and keep its head about the murk
of the second division, Memphis would
break all attendance records. Last
year with a team that finished down
In the running Memphis was second
in point of attendance.
But enough is enough and too much
is a sutficiency to use some Weber
Fields stuff Anyway, that's the way
the average fan is looking at the sit
uation, and when he Graves excite
ment nowadays he goes out to Over
ton or to Edgewood Park and watches
the amateurs
" course, there are some few base
ball enthusiasts who will stick to
the last ditch, but even these have
about decided that the last ditch is
mighty close at hand. A few more
exhibitions of loose. Indifferent and
downright rotten playing is going to
sicken even the most ardent enthusi-
asst TO the point that he will be COM
PEELED to admit that high-class base
ball in Memphis is a lost art.
At that. though. there is a chance
Turtles any really good games left in
them2
If they have the local club will END
the season with the balance on the
right side of the ledger, for it is not
believed that to date there has been
any deficit to say the least
I OCAL fans have been loyal to a
fault, They have turned out in
goodly numbers and they have stuck
TO the Turtles in fair weather and
foul. Then, toe. the weather man has
been unusually kind to the local man
agement To date not a single Sun
day game has been prevented by
rains, and not even a heavy cloud has
appeared just before game time TO
| keep hundreds of enthusiasts at home.
An things considered, it's been a
! lucky season thus far for the cash
| box, but decidedly bad one from a
| simon pure baseball standard
A Sunday game means. at con-
| sentative estimate, from $500 10
| $2,5oo. And last season the club was
| cheated out of several of these juicy
| dates right at the start, to say moth
| ing of many week day games that
were prevented during the early part
of the year. Thus II is easy to pre-
sumo that SO far the team isn't a
loser, but it's now a matter of dollars
and cents to the club owners. Either
the team must take a brace or be boil
stored or a deficit is going TO be
Chalked up. for its a CinCh that the
Memphis fan is going 10 scratch Red
Elm of his visiting list If some i'm