The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-31
FEW BASEBALL men REGRET
THE PASSING OF 1921; WAS
LEAN FOR THREE-EYE CLUBS
Severe Financial PROBLEMS Cause
Rock Island and Cedar Rap
ids 10 Quit
By j. L. HUGHES.

Few baseball men Rgret the
passing of 1921. Generaly speak
: ing. the year was lean one in
. minor league ranks, particularly III
the Three-Eye and more specifical /.
Iy in Rock Island.
This city wound up Il the bot
tom of the percentage column. thus
duplicating its 1920 performance.
!. Mismanagement at the start, bur
densome expenditures for travel
and for salaries, together with in
dustrial conditions, proIed COM
bination too strong to be overcome.
As result, the Rock Hand Fans
association was convinced it had
had its fill Of Three-Eye league
pastiming and the fraachise was
! given up. The positi0 of Cedar
Rapids, which also quit was SINH
lar
Moline captured the Annant and
! thereby realized an ambition, cost
| ly though II was The Flows boast
ed an aggregation of talented play
ers, several of major league calibrc.
These demanded and received plen-
ty of good coin Of the realm for put
ting Moline on the BASEBALL map.
Terre Haute, which finished
third, drew more than 5000 admis-
sions, which in the Ordinary course
of events, should have netted divi-
dends to stockholders Instead.
that association claims it lost
money. If this be true how could
any of the other cities with decid-
eddy less attendance expect to-
make ends meet?
All the clubs lost money. At
least, that is what tbsy said at the
annual meeting in dhgo in No !
vember, when Rod ISLAND and !
Cedar Rapids withd&@ The total /
league attendance was above the !
$4,000 figure, divided as follows
Terre Haute. $4,000; Evansville,
$4,000; Peoria and Bloomington,
$4,000 each; Moline, 1900; Rock
ford. $4,000; Rock Island, $4,000
and Cedar Rapids, 10000.
Rock Island sold three players.
Pitcher Hubert Dennis was dis
posed of early in the season to
Rockford. At the finish of the
schedule Shortstop Frank Murphy
went to Kansas City in exchange
for Catcher Charlie Connolly and
a cash sum. Pitcher Russell Ross
was sold recently to Springfield in
the Eastern league for cash. l.
In Bill Cole, the club has a live
prospect for a sale alta good price
Cole was the leading outfielder of
the league and hit for an average ,
Of .317. His FORK WIS consistent ,
y Specta -dlar. .
Get Favorable Start. 4
Hopeful of escaping the unkind s
ate of 1921-that of list position = !
he Rock Island Fans association f
started the year uIder circum- t
stances not altogethei unfavorable. a
The directorate was Increased from c
even to eleven at theannual meet i
ng in January. consisting of DR.. d
:. W. Mueller, I. P. Sinnett, J. W.
'otter, Joe r. Tuckis Carl W. Muel- T
er, C. A. Beers, J. Hays Britton, S
oe Prendergast, A. ". Salzmann, Il
'aul V. Brown and Frank Wood. p
.ater, DR.. Mueller vas reelected p
resident, T. P Sinnat, vice presi- il
ent, and c. a Bees, treasurer. T,
iarcus S. BroIgh, aGing secretary, S
1as voted the post of secretary. V
he treasury of the Ssociation was B
1rtifed by money realized from NJ
ale of players, and there was ev- a.
~ reason to belize 1921 would G.
reduce a winning tam. di
George McQuIllan, former major fo
.ague pitcher, who had come to A
ock Island in a pger deal with OF
eoria, was given The reins of fit
IL, latn |
ice of the association. He was W
0t only expected t. prove a cap ba
Die leader bur waScounted upon 20
make the pitching formidable by hu
s own work on TIE mound. tn
During the white months, Nc VII
uillan signed INJURIOUS players, tn
ostly youngsters, or tryouts and ca
en- announced he yould wait until
e majors started pruning before
his team nth few vet
ans. -,
McQuillan arrived in Rock Is pc
nd March 5, rear5 month pre- -
ding the players. ae settled down r1e e
making good tbi impression he ne ne
d created, bv buying himself az y"
,uglas park in supervising the % o.
,rk of getting thipark into con- 90
ion for the pIayag season. cir
April 1, the playss began arriv- 90 cn,
, and it seemed tsy never would "a, "a
p. For the .nostpart, they were s ~
raw recruits, who I hIs,
,ved nothing NOR than a heavy ni s
, on the clubs esources Few IN II
the early arrivss survived the
practice games IF the spring Per PEI
lining. One of JcQuillan's first "a
stakes was TO Gu Mandy Brooks, 80 "a
promising youngoutfielder, from 10,
roster, just prid to the opening ~ :
the seasons scbdule at Peoria.
,oks signed witt Peoria and be 80
lie a star almos overnight. Gu
Had Cool Team. car
IcQuillan had ) really formid- ~ ~ y.
: aggregation airing the first lont
Pdifnr af