The Wilmington morning star., 1947-10-12
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: We have been asked to extend the thanks of citizens of White
wife to the New Hanover Board of County commissioners for the
latter's helping hand in making tomorrow nights exhlpatlon oase-
ball game between a group of travelling major leaguefs aho a
" squad of local stars a huge success.
Dave Nelson, former sports expert of the "hitevnle News
Reporter, and now One of the citys leaders IN progressive
movements, and Earl Brinkley, coach Of the WhItevIlle comets
were both quite willing to pass the word along tnt "hi'eVhie
" owes a debt of gratitude to the New Hanover board.
They feel happy, though admittedly puzzled that the New
Hanover county commissioners have Just done the st piece u
= work Columbus county has had done for a long time.
The reason for all this is of course the much publlclzed ruling
bv the local board that the major leaguers would have to go else
where to play, when they had contacted Wilmington searching
for a game here with the Masonboro Ramblers.
The county leader, lit says here) decided that the expense
of remakng Legion Stadium for baseball would be o great
to make the appearance of the major league team here worm
while. The fact that Wilmington fans would have damned the
a. field to see the men who make national headlines failed TO
weigh very heavily on the commissioners minds when they
discharged their duty as spokesman for the people.
Whitevlle captured the game 'he Guy hisn' nave euue
one anyway, it must be admitted. But tomorrow night cars from
Wilmington will be headed toward Whiteville, instead OF vlce-versa.
I'VE personally know of approximately 30 persons planning to
attend the contest. and it follows that we could scarcely know OF
smore than ten per cent.
1t also is logical to assume that if $500 baseball fans would
attend a Wilmington Pirate Sanford Spinner playoff game
after watching Glass D baseball all year long, then it is not
incorrect to suppose that twice that number would desire to
see Rudy York, Buddy Lewis, Kirby Higbe and the rest play
against local sandlotters.
Now, at a buck a throw, if that were the admission price, the
gate might easily have been $4,000. If the county received its usua!
-121a per cent of the gate, there would be $3.50 in the county pocket
that was not anticipated earlier. If the construction of a pitchers
mound, removal of the football bleachers, and other small items
such as rolling down the wire netting behind home plate and
marking foul lines, came to a cost of $3.50, which is high, then the
county nets $500.
Progress is a parlayed affair. Let's suppose the county had
. some leaders to run Legion Stadiums sports programs who
could see further ahead than adjournment time. They might
see where the county could put this $500 into the proposed
Professional Golfers Association tournament, hoped to be
staged here next year.
At the end of two or three years that money could easily grow
to a couple of thousand dollars, and New Hanover county could
just possibly have found itself another source of income.
We are the first to admit that the best laid plans of COM
misaoners and men often go wrong. Perhaps all this would
have failed, but what would have been the price of failure?
Certainly not one half as costly a the price of not trying.
o" These men who direct the county are successful businessmen.
Each has made a success of his business by being able and wise,
or at least so we are informed. The governing of a county is
much the same problem with one exception. That exception is that
the people of the county should. have the right to have their
desires given great thought, and if failure of a project results
after bowling to the public demand, no commissioner can be blamed.
In the failure to see that money would be made and base
ball fans pleased by having the transforming major league
stars here, the county we think acted against the wishes of
the Wilmington resident who has shown himself to be a person
anxious to attend baseball games. This failure also did a great
deal OF harm a S far as advertising Wilmington throughout the
state.
Frank Manner, manager of the Ramblers, has announced that
Snag Allen and Weinie Brown, two favorites of local fans will get
into action against the major league team in Whitevile tomorrow
night. It's just another reason why Port City fans will give the
little Columbus County town a good night of business.
It's a good thing it's only the stadium that's under county
rule. Suppose it was the shoreline they operated?
The fishing rodeo would probably have been held in another
county, with New Hanover not included.
BY all means, let's get somebody to take over the stadium,
despite the poor condition it's in. And not a Legion Stadium
Sports Authority reminiscent of the Airport Authority.
Think about this, fans, while you're driving up to Whitevnle
tomorrow night. It's kind of a long ride to be forced to take lust
because of local blindness, amt it?