Arizona republican., 1913-04-09
WHY PHOENIX |S
 bASEbALL-LESS
Catcher Tom White of New ly Organized Sluggers Suggests to Complaining Tempe That Capital Has No Sunday Park
To the Sporting Editor of The Re-

To the sporting Editor of The Re
 publican. Sir:
 Seeing an article in The Repub- lican of April seven. headed An Apt Inquiry on Baseball I thought l would like to enlighten the Phoe- nix fans and those in nearby towns why this town is handicapped in organizing d baseball team. This town has all the material it needs for winning team, one that can look d fan in the face" In Phoe- nix, the largest city in Arizona. we have more than enough men to make d team-but we have no place to play. Baseball has been discussed here time and again, and is sthl the chief subject of many little gatherings of fans and players. But che obstacle is, there is no place to play
 Eastlake park, as l understand it IS the onlN place where there is an enclosed ground, and the pro plletors have absolutely refused to rent the premises on Sunday-the onlE day that baseball can be made To pay in d town the size Of this Although Phoenix is thriving city, 1t cannot afford week day ball games This fact kills baseball here Were it not for the obstinacy of the man asers of the ball park, we might have here one of the fastest teams in the southwest. At present there gre several players in town, who have played ball in all part of the union. and are wiling to get into harness and show our sister towns Tempe Mesa. Glendale and Chandler. that there is a real team in the capital. ready to meet all challengers.
 shorty Coombs has a nine in pros pect that ought to beat the Pas times All Americans. Maroons or even the old time Browns. He calls them the East Side Sluggers The organization has practiced together for weeks and what it's members do not know about the game will have to be shown them. And there are few teams in this part of the world that can do the latter
 In conclusion I would like to say to any manager in the valley wish ing to make arrangements for a
 
 THOS. K WHITE
 The above letter is from an old timer at the game of baseball, a catcher in the Sluggers' team and at one time a nainstay in the Lemorc, California, team. His ad- dress is 7l5 West Taylor street
 White calls attention to condi- ton which The Arizona Repub- Hcan has shown to it's readers time and again. On more than one oc- casion this paper has been influ- ential in organizing teams only to have them fail for lack of q place to play. Eastlake is the ony spot on which the homeless Phoenix home team can light The fair grounds have been offered, but a diamond would have to be built there and the tracks torn up-something the com mission would not stand for q single minute.
 The traction company in the person of Superintendent Mitchell has in most cases acted in a most public spirited way. but in the matter of baseball has incurred the hostility of fandom. Pleading a desire to ob- serve the Sabbath. which he con sidered was badly shattered by some scrapping ball players once upon q time. the superintendent has ever since closed the park to the sport on Sundays. This was entirely right at first. and perfectly permissible under the circumstances. But here Is the big fact that has produced all the peeve: the applicants for the use of the ball park have ceased to in clude kids. It is grown men and responsible men. who have made the latest fight to open Eastlake to the national sport. But their reception has been as cold as the others. Possibly the next administration of the Phoenix Railway company will get away from the sanctimonious idea and open the park to Sunday baseball.