Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-22
WENT ONE BETTER
THAN MURPHY OF
SH0ESTR|NG FAME
In Building Up a Permanent.
Southern Association Reed
Helped Do Something Where
Failures Were the Order,

@e9@@8e e4sa@4 o Q Q Q q
o. AT meeting to be held at .
the Commercial club at o'clock =
tonight It viii be virtually de- g
cidod whether Albuquerque win q
y go into the lilo Grande associ- .
alton Reed and Isbell, the or .
ganizers. have interviewed a Q
o score Of fans Of the solid sort o
and they viii be there. Others .
. whom they have not yet had Q
" time TO sec but who are hungry o
= for real baseball, should be .
. there. o
@@eee48 Q @@@4@ Q . .
Residents Of albuquerque who
lived 10 the southeastern part Of the
United States during the first few
years Of the present century, and who
are familiar with the circumstances
attending the birth OF the present
Southern association, It's early strug-
gles and its development into one Of
the strongest minor leagues In the
country see In the connection of
George NJ Reed with the proposed
new Rio Grande association the
sureEt guaranty Of its success.
Reed Is an old head at the base
ball game. Ills hair has grown gray
ia the work OF putting the sport on
a clean. sound. businesslike basis in
different parts of the united States
49, baseball organizer with genius
for executive detail 1t Is doubtful If
he has superior and It is certain
that he has few equals
Fans OF Dixie and-the old-tlme.
thirty-third degree fans--will remom.
Der 20 what a low estate the national
pastime had fallen In the south dur
Ing tho latter nineties. This was due
not 10 any lack Of enthusiasm for the
sport but 10 the absence OF men with
business ability who we're willing TO
give their time and efforts TO the
WORK OF building NJ the game Base
ball brains and business brains are
not found In the same head any too
frequently Leagues-gOod. fast little
leagues sprung up In the south
one after another. only TO burn with
II bright flame during April, May and
June and then flicker and go out
about the first of August. In 1898, the
year of the spanish American war,
the most promising venture Of the
sort had been launched. but war en-
thusiasm oyerahadowcd baseball en-
thuaiasm, the men who had put their
good money into the game poeketed
heavy LOSSES. the league broke down
In tho middle Of the season and Il
seemed that the game was dead FOR
Keeps Ia all the territory south Of the
line that made Mossrs. Mason and
Dixon famous.
This was the situation when, In
1901, four men decided to rehabili-
tate the game la the south and to
start another Southern league These
-four men were George M. Reed, Abs
ner Powell, Charlie Frank and Newt
Fisher They were short on capital
but long on baseball knowledge and
enthusiasm, aud furthermore they
we're clean and honest
II took nerve. but the big four had
nerve in abundance. Atlanta, the Sec
and largest city In the south and one
Ut the best baseball towns In the
country, could not De begged on brlh-
I'd to come in on the proposition Too
much money had been lost In the
Georgia capital IN unfortunate base
bah investments and the business
men of the city would not listen for
a moment to anybody who talked
about putting up for the sport The
franchise was haWked about the
.oWn for weeks, with no takers, ana
finally It was taken to the little city
II Selma, Ala, where club was
placed In lo0l. The other towns with
which the league started were New
Shreveport Birmingham, !
chattanooga, Memphis. Nashville and
little Rock.
Reed was in charge OF the Shreye-
,ort team, Frank was at Memphis. 1
Powell at New orleans and Fisher At
Nashville A moderate salahy limit
VAS established and rigidy enforced /
Fen per cent OF the gross receipts of I
zach game played, went into the I
eaguc treasury TO constitute a fund /
o tide over the weaker teams, aud I
he entire receipts 81 an holiday
amcs were pooled ana divided equal
/, between the eight clubs IN a word.
he business side of baseball was de-
clopcd 30 the south for the first
line The sport az once began to
ouiish. Il was kept clean special .
ppeai was made tor The patronage
{ Indies, and when autumn came.
ot only had every club finished the
eason but every club had balance
q ~ treasury
u IS far cry from The Southern
'aguc Of 1891 10 tho Southern league
I 1918 To-day the Atlanta franchise.
HIGH nobody would have fourtecn
ears ago, could not be purchased for
100000. Ia varying degrees the
,me thing Is true OF every city on
nc circuit There is no stronger mi
or league IN the country. and IL is +,
oubtful II there is faster. one
But 10 get back 60 Reed. Not only
"a he IN common with his associ. q
ZEE. show positive genius for or
'nizatlon and the business side of
Ie game bat he also gave the cities
which he manaeed teams the best s
aud Of baseball that Il was possi- /
e for the money al his disposal 10 | s
~ After three years in Shreveport. I
$ franchise was transferred 10 Mo- J
le, Ala, larger city and much bet q
r located for transportation pur- Z
ses. Reeds team was always a cons ! :