The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-29
Present Holders of Fran chise Favor Independent Team, But O'Neil Says Nothing Doing.

Nothing Doing.
 Passage of the Sunday baseball bill in Rhode Island is forecasted by a canvass made for The Times of the Senate branch of the General Assem-
 bly, there yesterday. The measure has
 already passed the House by vote of T to 19. All but four Senator 1 these come from the most thinIy populated towns in the State-an- nounced that they would vote agains,
 the bill. The others all said that they
 would come out strong for 1t. Today the following statement was ! made over the long distance tele- phone from Providence to the writer by an official of the Providence club:
 Yes, 1t does look now as if the Sunday baseball measure will pass the Senate and as Governor Beeck- man has already announced he will sign il, Rhode Island baseball fans
 are very jubIant and looking forward
 to great doings this summer. We
 propose organizing a first class team
 made up of the best major league
 material obtainable. You know there will be plenty of first class players available after the teams return North and we expect to grab the
 best, if the bill allowing Sunday base | ball is passed.
 There is no reason why such a team could not make money in this
 State. Providence fans want major league baseball, but they won't sup
 port 1t. What they want and what
 they are willing to support are two
 entirely different things, But a team
 made up of real stars and playing here say three or four times 8 week should be a good money proposi- l tion."
 This office would not discuss the Eastern League situation,
 saying that so far as he was con cerned he would have nothing to
 do with that circuit. Asked if
 that was also the attitude of the
 other stockholders of the club, he replied in the affirmative.
 The Eastern League is a joke in Providence" he said. We felt like Q bunch of amateurs last season, but nothing doing this
 season. Providence is too bis a
 city for Eastern League base
 ball."
 Dan O'NeiI when told of the state
 ment made by the Providence club stockhoIder said that the Easter,
 League held territorial rights in that
 district and that if the present owners of the team were determined
 on getting out of Organized Baseball and operating an independent team, playing only exhibition games with l major leagues. his circuit was pow | erless to act with them. But, he add ed, the Eastern League will maintain it's territorial rights in Providence | and, if the present stockholders are unwilling to finance the club, he will 1 find somebody who will install
 Eastern League team in that city. MT. OINeil is very hot under the collar over the attitude of the Provi- dence men and is set on having that l city on his circuit next season, if Sun | day baseball is played there. He said 1 that if the present owners insisted on getting out and operating a semi-pro ] team, at Melrose Park weekdays and | Sunday, he had a group of men who are willing to go into Providence, take charge of the club and build a | ball park within two minutes walk of the civic center of Providence. The International League is look ing anXiousIy to a big season this year. With the baseball war between moguls and baseball scribes at an end. Toronto should come again into 1 it's own this year. The attitude taken
 by the Toronto club owner toward the newspapermen was far from sat 1 isfactory and baseball was given little 1 mention in the papers of that city | with the. result that the attendance
 has been ridiculously low. All of
 which casts to one side the claim of Charley Murphy, desposed owner of i the Cubs, that newspapers are de- pendent upon baseball for news and ] not baseball dependent upon news papers for even existing.
 Manager Miller Huggins is enthus- | ing considerably over what he ex- poets from Walter Pipp this season.
 ''I've heard a lot about first base | men since I've taken hold of the Yankees and I heard a lot of boosts for Chase, Sis1er, McInnis and others but I want to say, however, that in waalter Pipp I have -the best first
 baseman in baseball today and that
 he will be so recognized before an- 1 other season"
 Leon Galore of the Dodgers, who was with the negro fighters of New York's old 18th Regiment in France,