Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-26
FOLKS HONOR
iris SPEAKER WITH
COZ MEMBERSHIP
Hubbard City, Tex, Writes His
Name in Local Hall
of Fame.
By I. E. SANBORN

There is one prophet who is not
without honor in his own country. He
is a professional baseball player. named
Speaker. and his home town in Texas.
called Hubbard City, does not intend
to let the silver-haired veteran receive
all his honors from other communities.
Life %membersh p, without cost or
dues. in the Hubbard City Chamber OF
Commerce probably would not be con-
sidered a distinctive honor by any of
the other great ~personages of the gen.
Grafton. but to Tristan Speaker lit
doubtless means as much as his fellow
cit Gems intended it to. For iris al
ways has been a great booster for his
native state and his native city. I'm
like many another man who has achiev-
ed renown. Speaker never has felt the
call of the big cities. except as a bat
tlefield.
But for Iris. Hubbard City might
never have become famous, and in
recognition of that fact and apprecia-
ton of it's talented on. its business
men have written his name as perma-
nently into the home towns hall of
fame" as Speaker has inscribed it on
the tablets of baseball history.
Small Communities Appreciate
II has been said that small COM
munities feel greater pride in their
heroes than the large nes do. That
may be true on a per capita basis. be-
cause so many more folks know their
fellow townsmen intimately inc small
place than in a big one. But the larger
cities give their great ball players a
bigger volume of admiration because of
their numerical superiority.
All of which makes it pertinent to
ask why the club owners of the Ameri-
can league do not add an inexpensive
annex to their new hall of fame. by
presenting to the native town or city of
each player who wins the best player
trophy some permanent evidence of
that fact? It could take the form of
& simple metal tablet inscribed with the
name of the native son and the date.
BY displaying this in a suitable pub
lie place the "old home town" could do
itself and its hero a lasting honor.
The thought behind the American
leagues trophy scheme is to show ap-
probation of great ability coupled with
true craftsmanship o the green dia-
mond by something more uncommon
and more permanent than dollars. no
amount of which ever can repay men
like Speaker-to name only one of
many-for what they have given to
tlT} IA " tLr AdIlou > DdSllulc.
On the other side of the picture.
isn't it about time the patrons of
baseball began to reform a little in the
matter of sportsmanship? And if the
fans themselves won't discard some of
their most serious faults. cannot the
club owners abolish such n for
instance. as that in Brooklyn recently
when the denizens of the bleachers
staged a pop bottle battle? That's an
old habit of Brooklyn rooters. although
not by any means confined to the
Flatbush arena.
Policemen Needed
The battle referred to had for its
victims a corps of special policemen
instead of the urnpires. as is usually
the case, but that does not alter the
fact nothing really serious ever has
been done by the magnates to correct
this dangerous evil. That there never
have been more resultant fatalities
does not speak we'll for the marks
menship of the rowdies.
Charley Ebbets' scheme to curb the
bottle throwing evil at his park was 10
raise the price of admission TO the
b~leachers. according to the reports.
That seem an odd way to attempt it,
but perhaps the Brooklyn promoter
had one of two ideas in mind. He may
have figured that few bottles are
thrown from the higher priced grand
stand seats. consequently elevating the
price might raise the standard of
craftsmanship. Or. he may have done
it with the intent of prohibiting the
sale of pop bottles and their content
to the inhabitants of the sun seats.
using the greater revenue at the gate
to reimburse him for the loss of profits
on the pop.
Prohibition Of pop probably would
lead to b~ootlegging. so what's the use?