Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 45, Number 62, 23 January 1920 — Page 9

THE" PALLADIUM AltfD 5W-TELEGRAM, FRIDAY, JATT. 23, 1920.

PAGE NINE

Base toll Or- Nd .Base toll for Richmond

A Statement of Fact

One of Two Things is About To Happen To Richmond

Either she is to get in position to keep and maintain her Baseball Park, ideally located, well equipped and filling an important niche in the very life of the city; or she is to see this only Athletic ground within the city torn to pieces without a chance in the next ten or fifteen years to be replaced by another.

What Baseball Means to a City It takes a varied assortment of things to make up a city of Richmond's size. Richmond is a healthful and decent place in which to live; it has beautiful homes, churches, schools, libraries, many big industries that are growing fast, and first-class business houses. It has the most wonderful park, Glen Miller, in the middle west and it has scores of other features that make the city well worth living in. In the matter of recreation for its great majority of people, the theatre is provided, but unless there is a response to urgent need now at hand, there will be no further opportunity to provide out-of-door sport the National Game. Richmond cannot afford to let its baseball park go by default. It has a value to the community that cannot be counted in dollars and cents. It has provided thousands of persons with "some place to go" who otherwise would have found avenues to spend their money in other cities. It has helped to bring contentment to the people the man in the factory, the clerk, the merchant and the manufacturer.

A Little Bit of History Three years ago a small group of Richmond men started a movement to give the city a baseball park and a team in the Central League. Hundreds of men responded to the call, and the Richmond Exhibition Company was the result. A park was built, equipped, and a team was out into the fact. A franchise in the'Central League was procured. In that one year it was demonstrated that baseball, well-conducted, would be self-supporting. The Company was handicapped by beginning its season with its initial cost of building a plant not fully paid. The attendance at games paid the running expenses of the team, which were heavy, and left a balance which went toward meeting obligations that had been incurred in building. The season ended with an indebtedness of about $3,500. Had the war not put baseball practically out of business in 1918, Richmond's company would have, paid out clean in that year. Since that day the old debt has been hanging like a pall over the company which has managed to meet current expenses, rent, etc., up to late. But that can not continue. There must be a change, and quickly.

The New Opportunity Richmond just now has the opportunity of getting back into a minor league with seven other cities, all of them larger than Richmond. There is just, one way of realizing this prospect and that is to wipe out the old debt and prevent a receivership, which will mean the loss of the park. It can be done if the citizens who realize that baseball is a good thing for the city will do their part. The park is already in hand. There is but little expense required to put it in fine condition. The needed funds, amounting to $15,000 for all purposes, are set forth below.

What the Returns Will Be Richmond's one season in League baseball demonstrated that the attendance will pay running expenses and bring a profit providing the team starts out with a clean slate. There will not be and, in fact, there never has been, any expenses attached to the running of the club in the way of executives' salaries. Not a single member of the Board of Directors, from President down, ever received a penny for any service whatever. Every director, as well as every stockholder, paid his admission to every game. There were no free tickets issued to any but representatives of the press. The whole proposition simply is this: Richmond can get on the baseball map again if there is a disposition on the part of the business men, the manufacturers and the fans to do their part. Think it over. Either this plan must go through or the little indebtedness of $3,500 will result in the baseball park being put under the hammer and the valuable plant sold for junk; then goodbye baseball in Richmond for years to come.

The Budget Necessary to Put Richmond Back Into Baseball To pay off old indebtedness $ 3,500.00 League forfeit (the sum that every team must pay into the League treasury as a guarantee that it will go through the season; the sum to be returned at end of season if team plays through 2,000.00 Organization of a team, purchase of players, etc. (estimate) 3,000.00 Cost of training season (including full maintenance of team in advance of playing season when salaries begin) 2,500.00 Rental of park 800.00 Cost of all equipment for team and park for season 1,000.00 Cost of re-grading park . . , 300.00 Repairing grandstand, fences, painting, etc 700.00 Miscellaneous expenses 1,200.00 Total fund needed $15,000.00

A Proposition to Be Made A number of Richmond business men, together with the Board of Directors of the Richmond Exhibition Company, have under consideration a plan for financing the club on the basis bove set forth. A little lateY this plan will be announced. If you, Mr. Citizen, believe that there is more good to be derived in assisting than in passing it by, your assistance will be welcomed. If you believe that the "baseball business is an idle dream for Richmond and that nobody cares a tinker's darn about it", you are mistaken in your judgment; but, of course, you could not, under such belief, do your part. Think this over. It's the last chance, positively, to save a real, live institution for the city of Richmond.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS RICHMOND EXHIBITION COMPANY

U m