The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-20

SUNDAY BASEBALL
WILL BOOM SPORT
Polo Grounds Will See Great
Crowds OH Both Days of
the Week End.
THREE CITIES STILL OUT
Boston,, Philadelphia and
Pittsburg Bar Play on
the Sabbath.
THREE CITIES STILL OUT
ny sHORTsTOP.


Sunday baseball in New York. follow
ing the playing OF Sunday games in
Washington, will open a new era for
baseball.
Instead OF Sunday being an Off day
Tor players, practically every big league
team Will be engaged on the FIRST day of
the week. Fourteen out of the sixteen
teams now can play each Sunday
were two parks available In Manhattan
II would be possible for every team TO
play each Sunday. This, however, would
entail lot of conflicts in New York
Enthusiastically Sunday baseball in
New York Will be a big boom to baseball
IN general, particularly to the New York
club. Instead of having only one big
day. Saturday afternoon. the local clubs
now will have two days when they may
expect crowds OF $4,000 and upward.
Clubs spending week end on the Polo
Grounds will get out with bigger check
than ever before.
In some cities in the west Sunday base
ball hurt the weekday crowds. But It
Is unlikely that Sunday ball In New
York will have such an effect. The
weekday crowds and the Sunday crowds
In New York will be different, as they
are in Chicago and other large cities
permitting Sunday ball. The weekday
WV 10 dA illaut up OF men VINO
can AFFORD to shut up their offices on a
hot summer day and journey out to the
oail park. They like to avoid big crowds.
On the other hand the Saturday and
Sunday games are attended by men and
boys who work hard during the week.
The Saturday half holiday affords many
such fans chance to see their favorito
team in action. But there were many
men who worked six days a week in
Nnrty ~ -,.gtt
unity OF seeing their favorite sport on
Sundays.
Three cities stu Out.
1t Is interesting to note that Sunday
hs seball. like woman suffrage and pro-
hioition. started In the west, and found
t.. North Atlantic coast the last to
surrender.
Sunday baseball has been moving
steadily eastward, until Pittsburg, Phil
sdelphia and Boston remain the only big
league cities where It still Is necessary
TO place lock on the baseball gates on
a Sunday.
Only ten years ago there were only
three big league cities which permitted
Sunday games-Chicago. st. Louis and
Cincinnati. Charley Ebbets tried to in
troduce II In Brooklyn, and several times
put on sunday games In his borough.
leaving boxes at the entrance for
honest fans'to drop coins into. However.
each time the stunt was attempted the
opening battery was arrested. Finally
the National League discouraged further
attempts In that direction.
Sunday ball has been played right
along in the far West, and Chicago and
st Louis have had it for over a quarter
OF a century. Cincinnati had Sunday
ball long before the Ohio Legislature
passed a Sunday baseball bill. but when
the Reds first attempted Il they got into
frequent jams with the Cincinnati au-
thorities. Before Ohio declared in IA
yor OF Sunday ball Cincinnati was able
to inlay only because of the tolerance
OF the Cincinnati Police Department.
About ten years ago Detroit got Sun
day baseball, giving the American
League three Sunday ball townsville
same al the National. About four years
later Ohio passed Sunday baseball
bill, which enabled Cleveland to get on
the bard wagon. That enabled every
Western American League club to en-
terrain on the first day of the week.
Washington was the next to get in
line There were such crowds in Wash
inston with no place to go that the
Commissioners of the District of Co.
lumbia informed Clark Griffith he might
play Sunday games last summer They
Immediately proved big success. and
until the season was terminated Wash
ingtons Sunday crowds were we'll in
excess OF 1900.
New York Ii Latest.
Now the great metropolis of the West
ern Hemisphere has been assured of
Sunday baseball, adding the Giants,
Yankees and Brooklyns to the number
OF clubs who now may entertain visitors
on Sunday.
In other Eastern territory official
sanction has lately been put on Sunday
ball Baltimore for the first time in
its history is permitted TO play Sunday
ball on its own grounds In former
years the Orioles used to play Sunday
hall at a park outside OF the city limits
The same was true in Providence, but
Sunday ball was made legal in Rhode
Island last week when the Governor
signed a Sunday baseball bill.
Perhaps eCtn Boston, Philadelphia and
pittsburg will get tired of standing apart
ny themselves and be the next to get in
line.
tCopvri0hted)