The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-20
Sees Handwriting on Wall
 and Wants to Step Out
 While the Stepping Out is Good-Need Someone to Awaken Baseball Enthu- siasm of the Capitol City.
They'll never get. along"

They'll never get along"
 This is a remark Jim O'Rourke made the day after he was busted as president of the Eastern league few years ago. It seems as though Uncle "Jeems" knew what he was talking about. The league has never been lSEch a tremendous success since the ORourke reign and now Jim Clarkin, one of the biggest packers in the merger deal, is beginning to see the handwriting on the wall and wants to sell out.
 The Hartford Courant this morning prints the following interview with Clanlztn:
 q stanLl ready to sell the Hartford baseball franchise, all the players on Ahe reserve list, and give with a lease of the present grounds for a reason able length of time, as I think it would be for the best interests of all concerned if my connection with the aClub should end before the present season starts.
 T have been connected with base ball in Hartford for the past twelve years and believe that have been Furnishing baseball hong enough to the Hartford public. I think that it would fbe far better for the game in this city if somebody else was at the head of the club, it would bring in new life and new spirit and reawaken the baseball enthusiasm of the Capital City which seems to have suffered a considerable slump during the past flew years.
 q finished last with the club the hov fTun n- nants, and with the exception of those two years always finished in the first division. Unlocked for trouble with my health, which developed late in the season of 1913, the last year that Hartford won the pennant, and which has been handicap to me ever since, was the main reason why the Hartford club brought up the tailend of the league during the past two years, as I was unable to give base ball the proper attention it deserved and as a consequence the team suf- fered and the public did not get the kind of baseball which a community like Hartford deserves.
 Without doubt, the Hartford baseball franchise was, until the en. trance of Providence into the Easterr
 
 from a business standpoint in the cir cult. The grounds have been put ir shape with a grass diamond at con siderable expense, while the grand stand is the largest in the circuit, ex Cepting Providence, and the mos Comfortable from the standpoint O the spectator. In 1911 I refused $15, 1000 for the franchise and players tha RI0 hot built the present grandstan5 costing $1S,000, the rst time that Hartfor ever had baseball grandstand witt chairs patterned after the majo ileague ball parks.
 up to the season of 1914, the clul was success financially in every re spect, but that year my health wa so bad that was forced by the or ders of my physician to give up al business interests in order to regain my health, and that marked the be ginning of the downfall of the Hart ford club as a. contender for tn neague pennants. It always was m 1dea that the success of minor leagu baseball lay in the development Q young players, and I always stoo ready to pay any price for a young Il 1 ito succeed. I was very fortunate i this respect, selling more youngster Ito major league clubs in ttpse year when the team was a success tha any other club owner in New Eng aand.
 With the circuit composed of sue cities as now make up the Easter League, there is no question but the a club in Hartford should be a gres success in this league, However, am firmly convinced that the ch will be an even greater success with new owner, or set of owners at tt inelm, than it would be with mysel after the poor showing of the pa two years, and this is the reason thi Heads me to declare that stan ready to sell the franchise and all al purtenanceS to the right kind