Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-01-12
VALLEY BASEBALL
LEAGUE IS PROPOSED
Preliminary Steps Taken Toward Or
ganization of Six-club Aggrega-
tion for Next Season.
GAMES ONCE EACH WEEK
PLANNED BY THESE TOWNS
Salem, Albany, Eugene, Corvallis,
Springfield, and woOdburn Are
Figuring on Joining League.

From present indications it would |
seem that semi-pro baseball is to flour. /
ish in this neck of the woods this com
ing season like. it never did before,
probably on account of so many young
players being picked up in these parts
by the scouts and given chance to
make good in organized baseball. Past |
season letters, personal conversation and
paper talk have been flying thick and
fast.
The most important plan broached to
date is the forming of a Willatette
Valley league to comprise Eugene,
Springfield, Albany, Salem and possibly
Corvallis and oWodburn.
To Capital Journal reporter Ray
Baker, manager of the Salem Senators,
the two past seasons, had the following
to say:
RI was requested to be at Albany
Saturday evening, January 10, to meet
representatives from the allowed named
towns and talk this matter over. I
notified Dr. 2. S. BARLEY, who has
been contemplating running an in.
dependent team in Salem next season,
of this meeting and he requested that
go with him. The meeting was called
to order at the st. Francis hotel about
$3.50 p. m. Besides ourselves, there were
present number of prominent business
men of Albany and James r. Richard
son, of Portland, n well-known base
ball and all around sport man, who has
had considerable experience as sport
writer, umpire and been connected with
several minor leagues and only this past
season got quite reputation as base
ball scout, having picked up some yalu-
able talent for the Portland clubs.
Many Favor League,
"Owing totho small number of towns
represented in person at the meeting
only preliminary plans were discussed,
however, every one present was enthus-
iastic over the forming of a league and
the letters from those present that were
read at the meeting would tend to show
that they were in favor of league
also.
"'I believe that every fan in Salem
is well aware Of the difficulties coin
cident with independent baseball and
feels that league composed of the
larger towns conducted on the right
kind Of a basis is the proper thing.
"There have been two leagues in
this valley within the past ten years
that have failed to gain the desired pur.
pose and these failures were talked over
thoroughly at this meeting.
"The sense of this meeting was to
have some one well versed in base.
ball league matters draw up rules and
regulations that would keep all clubs
within due bounds and have them
brought before a meeting Of the man.
ayers and adopted; then have each club
put up certain deposit sufficient to
guarantee good faith.
No Fancy Salaries,
"It is proposed to run the league the
first year on an economical scale with.
out paying any fancy salaries, etc, and
endcavor to develop the league grad
ually and at nominal expense One
game per week is all that is contem
lated and as near as possible residents
Of the towns will make up the teams
A president will be elected to manage
the league, probably from Portland, /
who is not personally interested in any |
of the clubs but who is interested in
baseball in general, and desires TO see
the game prosper
Whether Salem goes into this league
romans to be seen, DIR. BARLEY, who
IL has been expected would run the
team next year, announced during the
meeting that he had intended TO run
an Independent team in Salem but now
that a lcague was advocated go strong.
" be did not wish to be considered as
manager but that he would use his pent
up enthusiasm to boost whoever public
sentiment desired TO manage the league
team
$50 far as | am concerned / would
like TO see combined movement to
run the team. / have done everything
possible the past two years TO give
Salem fans good clean baseball and I
find that IL is pretty big job for one
to handle
win Back Albany Team.
"At Albany the coming season the
Retail Merchants association will prob.
ably back the team as several promi.
nent members said they believed the as.
sociaton felt that the baseball team
was good advertisement TO the city
and they were in favor Of a combined
effort 70 get the best results.
"f believe the Salem people feel that