The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-28
At Memphis
THE NEW EASTERN LEAGUE

Minor league baseball in New Eng land will be inaugurated today with a brand new circuit under the ancient title of Eastern League, long born by the present International League. Get away day finds the infant organfzat ton with all sails set and trimmed, to the breeze and with veteran shippers at the helm and many well seasoned men in the crews. To pursue the nautical terminology to the bitter end. it may be said without fear of successful con- tradiction that the launching of the new ship is under the most favorable auspices for a successful and profta- b1e cruise on the troubled waters of baseball
 Five cities of the former New Eng land League and five from the defunct Eastern kAssocia ton comprise. the new circuit, Lowell, Lawrence, Lynn, Worcester and Springfield, Mass, New Haven Hartford, Bridgeport and New London Conn, and Portland Me-, comprise a flock of towns of unusual merit for a, Glass B league. A number of major leagte veterans of. wide re- nown have been engaged in manager iaI capacities.
 Although 10-c1ub ana 12-cIub leagues have been frequent in base ball history, experience has shown that they are inclined to be u1rwie eIdv. The Eastern League also confronts the dire and dismal fact that, if it goes through the season as at present coI- stituted, some club must finish tenth Finish.ng eighth in the ordinary l league is bad enough, but the bigger the league, the deeper the cellar.
 Baseball has been leading a dogs life in New England in the past few years The New England League came near to going on the rocks in 1915, and although it got through, it was by the skin of it's teeth.-S worcester. once a New England League meal ticket and a city with major lea que traditions, soured on the American pastime to such an extent that toward l the close of the season all the home games had to be transferred. The Eastern Association didn't even start last year. The Colonial League, oper- ated as a Federal League farm, l dropped two of it's clubs in nid-sea- l son.
 1 There has been an Eastern League
 or Eastern Association in the baseball
 field. ever since 1884. when Trenton
 wonH the first pennant in the pioneer 1 Eastern Association. The Interna- l tional League formerly tie Eastern
 assumed it's present title in 1912, and
 the name was taken over by the Con- l necticut League, which was changed | tc Eastern Association.
 The new merger involves the pass
 ing as a league executive of James H l O'Rourke of this city. the veteran
 player and magnate, whose baseball career. covers exactly half a century He was only a kid when he pegaI l playing with the Bridgeport Unions 1 That was in 1886, and the following year he was with the Mansfie1ds oi
 Bfidd1etown, Conn.,, a famous old cIut
 which also numbered among it's play. i CTS T. H. Murnane, the president o1 i the New England League and now head of the Eastern League. Tn 187; O'Rourke joined the Boston Rec I Stockings and became the regular backstop. In 1879 he went to Prov idence and helped the Grays win z l National League pennant- He theT returned to Boston, and in 1881 man aged the Buffalo club. From 1S8E 1 to 1889 he was with the Giants and 1T 1 1890 he was with the New Y ork Play.
 ers' League club. At the close oi
 the brotherhood war he went back tC
 the Giants, and in 1893 went to Wash iington He ended his big league ca. l reer there and, after a brief expe. I rtence as an umpiret returned tC Bridgeport and in 189s launched the
 Connecticut League, with which ht
 has been officially connected ever since.
 ADVFRTISE IN THE FARMER. i