Evening star., 1937-07-07
President
Continued From First Page.)

up at the plate, the Army Band played
THE Star Spangled Banner"
Griffith then crossed to the Ma
tional League side of the stadium and
accompanied Judge KenesaW Noun
tain Lands, high commissioner of
base ball. Ford Frick, president of
the National League, and Will Har-
ridge. president of the American
League, to the presidential box.
They exchanged greetings and then
President Roosevelt shook hands with
Joe Mccarthy and Bill Terry, the
rival managers.
Handed a ball by Griffith. the Pres
ident held it aloft as members OF the
two clubs stood poised to make a
break for it,
The Presidents toss was high, and
the scrambling players knocked the
ball to the ground and piled up on it.
From the melee, Bill Jurges of the
Cubs came up with it.
The Presidents late arrival and the
opening ceremonies delayed the start,
and it was just Al pm. when the
American League team took the field.
Long before President Roosevelt ar
rived with his party and took their
box behind the American League dug
out that ordinarily is used by the
Griffmen the park was packed. Hun
dreds of disappointed men, women and
children who had waited in line for
1nJlrc tho char Of y3inGiy,r .
standing-room ticket were turned
away, the supply of 1000 being quickly
exhausted.
Stadium Splash of Color.
The interior of the stadium was one
huge splash of color. the heat forcing
men to coatless status and giving
hundreds of shirts of audible shades
a chance to compete with gay fem
inine apparel.
This background in the bleachers
was calculated to make it tough for
the hitters, the melange being directly
in their line of vision.
Beginning at 6 am, when 15-year-
old Jean McCooey of Plattsburg, N. Y,
showed up to head the line at the
standing room ticket window, the
steady stream of men, women and
children continued upbroken, thin
for the early hours, and then loosen
:ng into torrent at the noon hour.
Outside of the park pitchmen
swooped down with their usual as
sortment Of souvenirs, but the smart
est OF this army was group who
came equipped with supply of
brightly-colored straw coolie hats
which proved decidedly attractive to
the bleacher patrons as a protection
against blazing sun beating through
floating clouds.
Ticket Scalpers also put in appear
ance, one outfit taking over an empty
store building an another window
space, at the entrance to Griffith
Stadium. A score of headquarters
detectives were ordered to be on the
lookout for scalpers violating internal
revenue regulations.
Bleacher seats which sold at the
box Office for SIS cents were being
peddled for s4; sl1O grandstand seats
were available for 81.
Inspector L. I. H. Edwards, as
sistant police superintendent, said a
number of ticket brokers made ar
rangements to abide by Internal Rev.
enue Bureau regulations. There is
no limit which can be placed on the
cost of a ticket so long as it is
stamped with the selling price and the
scalper pays the Federal amusement
tax. it was pointed out.
The detectives were instructed to
nningle with the crowds and be on the
alert for scalpers attempting to dis
pose of tickets at prices higher than
the amounts stamped on them.
Scalpers Do Good Business.
The scalpers apparently had good
field, for by IL o'clock it was estimat-
ed that there were 5000 persons
packed in the North runway of the
stadium waiting for a chance to pay
sl.10 for standing room tickets that
were going on sale at lis.
The camera and autograph squads
also were early arrivals, doing the best
they could to get as close as possible to
the dressing room entrance at the rear
Of the stadium.
With his Yankee contingent well
represented in the lineup, Manager
Joe Mccarthy of the American
Leaguers was in the vanguard of ar
rivals and visited awhile in club head
quarters.
Lefty Gomez, picked for starting
mound duty against the not-so dizzy
Dizzy Dean of the Cardinals, and Joe
Di Maggie, the Yank outfielders who
didn't do so well as a freshman
against the old leaguers last year, were
particularly interesting to the spec
tators, who jockeyed for position at
the windows Of the business ofIice.