The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-04
Claims Other Clubs Are Try
ing to Freeze Out Furniture
City.
ACCUSATION IS FALSE
Door is Open for Return if
Noblett's Friend Wants to
Get in.

Bert Noblett apd some Of the Grand
Rapids sports are putting up an awful
howl about the Indianapolis meeting,
accusing Eggemeyer and Jack Ryan
Of being dictators and bent on keep
ing the Furniture City out Of the Cen
trail league.
II Noblett really wants to get into
the Central why did he not attend the
Indianapolis meeting? He had an in
vitation. II he believed that Egge-
meyer and Ryan were trying to GUST
him and his franchise why did he not
60 to Indianapolis to tell his story to
the other franchise holders.
The real truth Of the matter as It
appears here. Is that Noblett has cold
feet about the success OF a Central
league team in Grand Rapids. Two
years ago the Grand Rapids club sold
season tickets at such ridiculously
low price that the management early
in the season asked to be relieved of
the $50 q game guarantee to visiting
teams.
Here's the Accusation.
A dispatch from Grand Rapids says:
THE sum-up of affairs as they now
stand Is that our Peoria and Richmond
friends do not want Grand Rapids and
Muskegon in their little league If they
can get along without them"
The best answer to this kind of pif-
lie and bunk Is that Bert Noblett had
HIS invitation to the Indianapolis
meeting, Just like every other Gen.
trail league mogul. And that the
Grand Rapids franchise owner at the
the Grand Rapids papers that he was
nj etvrtr hot nj u
league baseball this year.
Noblett has had cold feet for weeks
and his eleventh hour attempt to be-
smirch Eggemeyer and Ryan is I'M
sportsmanlike and indicative OF dis
position to breed trouble. Noblett has
demonstrated pretty thoroughly in the
last week that the Central league will
be better off with Grand Rapids out
side the circuit than member of it.
No Trouble Elsewhere.
Harmony prevails among the other
franchise owners. If Grand Rapids
wants to start trouble before the cir
cult Is really going, the Central mo-
guls will only be protecting them
selves by letting Noblett stay up in
Michigan where he and his team ought
to feel perfectly at home in a state
league outfit.
To an outsider the howl Of Noblett
would indicate lack Of baseball sup
port in Grand Rapids. The News in
commenting on the situation there
says:
THE sumup Of affairs as they now
stand Is that our Peoria and Richmond
friends do not want Grand Rapids
and Muskegon in their little league if
they can get along without them
They prefer Springfield and Dayton,
and are ready to take on Decatur and
Springfield in Illinois if they can't
land the Ohio cities. It's up to Muske-
gon to get started if Grand Rapids Is
to have Central league ball this
season.
The Situation.
"The fans here have spoken. So
numerous have been the predictions of
success because of the elimination of
the saloon that Bert Noblett and his
prospective associates have become
unusually enthusiastic. We're willing
to start if we can do no better than
an even break. says Bert. 4 do not
think, however. that we can possibly
suffer this season in our plans to give
Grand Rapids a first class ball club
! have received enough assurance OF
support to convince me that the game
Is due for the greatest revival it has
ever witnessed here. There are any
number of Grand Rapids men who are
willing to take stock in the club That
should convince that we have some
fans who are as confident as myself
that baseball Is due for big year.
Those enthusiasts of whom Noblett
speaks have the best interests of our
city at heart. They recognize the
very important fact that there's going
to be lot that returned soldiers and
sailors will lack for amusements this
summer. Certainly there is not
more wholesome recreation than the
opportunity to witness professional
ball of the class that the Central
league should be able to furnish
Not Sure Of Support.
Noblett isn't sure of the support of
the Grand Rapids fans. That's where
the shoe pinches. His silly attempt to
make other club owners believe that
Eggemeyer and Ryan are trying to
dictate affairs and freeze out Grand
Rapids is camoufiage shat will enable
him to say to his fans, "Well, the rea-
son i didn't give you Central league
ball was because they would not let
me in the circuit
The real reason why Grand Rapids
will not be in the circuit, if the other
franchise owners decide on league
emitting the Furniture City, is because
first, Noblett showed no interest in
the rejuvenation project, and second
ly, because Noblett feared to put a
team In Grand Rapids, knowing that
the fans there would not support him.
II Noblett is anxious to get into the
league, let him attend next Sundays
meeting and tell the club owners face
to face what he is now saying through
the press.
A Grand Rapids paper wired Egge-
meyer as to the attitude of the league
toward that city, and was told that
the franchise owners would like to
see the Michigan City in the fold.
Nothing will keep Grand Rapids out,
Il -.