The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-23
OPEN ON APRIL 3.
Santa Fe Shop League to Start
With Six Teams.
Games Played at Noon Furnish
Fun for Big Crowds.

One of the most remarkable or
| CARNATIONS in Topeka sportdom is the
Santa Fe Shop baseball league. which
is now preparing to open its third
season on April 3. Altho limited as
to both space and time, making
/ ground rules and short games neces-
sary. the league has been remarkably
| three thousand interested spectators
have not been uncommon.
About the only element which dis
turbs the success of the league is the
shutting down of the shops. causing
a>shortage Of players. Six teams com
posed the league the first year. but
on account of the long shutdown in
1871, only -FOUR teams were organized
| and for a short time, in the middle of
the summer, no games were PLAYED
at all Later. when a large number
of men were taken back at the shops
the teams were at it again and con-
tinued the scrap for the champion
ship until November 1.
The teams which played last year
were the coach shop, motive power
building, the White Sox and the Dock
team The coach shop team won the
pennant- This year. with almost a
full force employed at the shops, six
teams will again be in the league and
the prospects are bright for a good
season The two new teams, which
have just been organized, are the Cubs.
NS@AAEcSN0 AAAOSNAS VI OLllCe men, ana
a team made up of roundhouse en-
ployes.
Play Schedule OF 100 Games.
Like the Southwestern league,
which has just ventured into town, the
shop league will have double sched-
first schedule, according to d. P.
Beaudry. secretary and treasurer, will
open April 3 and continue up to and
including June 80. July will be vaca-
ton month. but the second schedule
will start August L and run until No
vember l.
All games are played during the
noon hour every working day except
saturday, and with the six clubs in ac-
ton, three diamonds are necessary.
one diamond is located just south of
the coach shop where the viaduct
serves as a grandstand and the other
two at the corner of Branner street
and Seward avenue on what is COM
monty known as the old apprentice
Held, but the quarters are cramped
and none of the fields are of regula-
ton size. This makes the use of the
regular baseball impossible and occa-
sionally, for lack of time, some of the
games are of the abbreviated type but
the players quickly adapt themselves
to the conditions, and aided by ground
rules, usually put up a fast, snappy
exhibition. The use of the playground
ball does not have a tendency to slow
OF the league say.
Players Held by Contract.
When it comes to rules and reg
ulations, neither the National or
American leagues have anything on
the Santa Fe bunch. No team can
have more than twelve players under
contract at a time and no team is
permitted to sign players who are un-
der contract with another. This helps
hold the teams together and prevents
a player jumping from one team to
another until he is released. Players
may also be canned and until re-
instated by the president, who this
year is George Melchoir. be barred
from the league. This has resulted
in the organization of an OUTLAW
team known as the Federals.
The average game requires from
forty to forty-five minutes, but any |
contest that lasts as long as two in
nings is considered a full game and i
counts in the standing Of the teams
Longer games are not permitted be- |
cause each player must have time to |
eat his dinner and be back on the job /
when the bell sounds at 1 o'clock. |
But under the handicap of limited |
time and space the players have found |
the game great sport and are able TO |
furnish a lot of entertainment for the !
rest of the shop crowd which is al |
ways loyal and on the job.