Arizona republican., 1919-06-06
Wild Fans Applaud Big Ball Park
 Plan For Phoenix At Mass Meeting

At an enthusiastic meeting held last night at the "Y" stadium, the moss was stripped off the back of Phoenix, and as a result the Capitol City is to have a ball park and athletic field that will take Phoenix out of the village class and put it in the category of live towns.
 In spite of the lack of publicity, the meeting having been called upon short notice, the crowd that turned out to enjoy an exchange of opinions taxed the capacity of the stadium. It was an unusual crowd. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the meeting was the large number of women who had come to ex- press their opinions on the need of some sort of a central athletic field where Phoenix young America could find ample opportunity for healthful recreation and development by clean cut athletic competition.
 Honest, Lady, He Warn't
 And the kids were there The kids, that element of America that really is the backbone of the great national pastime, for it is from the corner lot" ball player that the big leagues ulti- mately draft their material. Somehow, perhaps, by means of "Skinnay's' grapevine ,the news of the proposed meeting at the stadium had spread liIe wildfire among the younger world, and the youngsters were out in a body, sit ting in the front seats and lobbying" for their dream of dreams-a big ath- letic field, with a diamond. gridiron. a swell track n evrything! Where was the Phoenician who dared rise at that meeting and looking down upon the youthful faces of the young hope fuls and argue against the proposed athletic field? Lady, he jest warn't there a-tall!
 Every member of every ball team in Phoenix was there to push, pull, and haul the proposition across. Petty jealousies and small town quibbling that has too often characterized the relations of these teams among them selves, was showed into the background the players had united to get their ball park
 It Was Fans Night
 Nor would it have done these players or their managers any good to try to throw wrench in the machinery of getting what the crowd was out to get. For the bulk of the crowd was com posed of the baseball fans of the city. Yep, it was the fans night. And for once in their lives certain so-ca1led managers and promoter got it under their skin that it is the fan who makes baseball-not the promoter, nor the player, nor the manager. One indi- vidual who was going to try to crab the act because the dope wasn't going the way he wanted it to go, for very personal reasons of his own, started some small town stuff in the way of knocking and grabbing. But he didn't have a chance. He hadn't spoken a half minute before he was hooted off the platform, with cries of Throw him out! Sore head. Who are you?"
 The crowd was out to decide on the best, quickest, and most efficient meth cd of getting such an athletic field as Phoenix needs. It wasn't question of whether or not the Capital City needs ball park and athletic field. It was a question of how, where, and when.
 The meeting was presided over by MT. L. Caput, sporting editor of The Republican. Upon calling the meeting to order. he made brief talk. in part, as follows:
 Ladies and Gents" Ladies an gentlemen-feIlow citi- zens. I am particularly pleased to in- clude the women because our war &C., tivities at home here have demonstrat- ed that no plan of community action can fail if the women are given a | chance to do their share of the work | (Applause.)
 We are not here for oratory and