The Detroit times., 1914-12-29
So Declares Groundkeeper Emil
Haisman, Just Back From
South
SPENT DECEMBER IN
RENOyATING CAMP
Saws New Orleans is Packed
With Visitors For Races
and Fights
nv BAROLD Y. WILCOX.

Emil HaIsman, who is absolutely
neutral despite his name, is again III
Detroit with message OF vital IN
/ port TO every man, woman ana GNU
I in the city who can record thlilI on
/ a summers day at the crack OF q osl
\ and a coacher's bark at NaVin heid.
Emil is the genial groundkeeper al
(. the Tiger homestead, and he mas Jus'
! returned from Gultport, where ne
] spent December renovating the ben
gal spring training camp. HIS lo!
I aus message is to the effect that the
diamond az Gulfport will be in better
! shane next March than IL has ever
K been. AS il was the finest OF It's KIND
4 In the south last year, that means
that no one viii have any better
chance for speedy work on the spring
limbering up plot than Hughey Jen-
nings' boys.
Haisman Is full of interesting COS
sip about affairs at the little Missls'
sippi coast city, which regards the
! Tigers as affectionately as does De-
trolt. Itself. The threatened fore
4 closure and sale OF the fair grounds,
where the training camp is located,
has taken place, and a gentleman
known to Gulfport as Shorty Gates
is now owner of the grounds. Ii was
feared last spring that the sale would
take place and that the plot would
not again be available for the Navin
squad. Mr.. Gates. however, is a dyed
in-the-wool fan, and as far as he Is
concerned the Tigers are welcome to
20 as far as they like. incidentally,
Gates Is known in the south as one
OF the best football players who ever
played on a southern college team. II
memory is not treacherous, he starred
on the Mississippi Aggie eleven a
few years ago.
Haisman found the diamond. fence
and buildings in bad repair. The
fence was largely down, and football
games and roaming stock had sadly
marred the polished surface that the
groundkeeper had laboriously created
a year ago The diamond has been
thoroughly repaired during the past
month, however, and will be in per.
feet shape by March. The rebuilding
of the fence was started today by
Gulfportians, according to agreement,
and the handball courts and club
nOuSt Tic Olu VIII bN
ready when the players arrive.
Weather has been perfect all win
ter. Haisman can recall but one
chilly day while he was south. Ty
Cobb and Hughey Jennings will be
interested to know that the golf links
are still in fine shape at Gulfport. and
that a new course Is being laid at
Pass Christian, but nine miles dis
tant, down the coast. and will be ready
for play by the time they arrive.
Jack Daray, the Grand Rapids profes-
sional, who played in Detroit tourna-
ments last summer. Is again the golf
tutor at Gulfport.
Haisman paid a visit to New Or.
leans while south. taking in the Wills
McVea fight. He reports that New
Orleans is wild over the prospect OF
championship ring battles and racing
this winter, and that the hotels at the
Louisiana city are packed with tour.
lists. He says that nowhere did he
hear predictions that the races would
fzzle out before the meet had run
its full time. or that the authorities
were planning to step in and stop
them. Such rumors have been cur.
trent In the north for several weeks.