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Show H LEAGUE TO ' BE ORGANIZED Salt Lake City Will Be Headquarters of Big Baseball Association. Asso-ciation. Salt Lake, Nov. 4. William II. rjicas, for several years president of the Northwestern league, and I F. Thlcl of Chicago. Thursday night announced an-nounced that arrangements were practically completed for the organization organiza-tion of the Union association.- a baseball base-ball league composed of Salt Lake, Ogden, Butte, Helena, Groat Falls and Missoula. It was also announced that Mr. Thiol had secured a ton-year lease cn the property facing 6(uth on Klgbth South street, between Main and State streets, and that a new baseball park would bo built on theso grounds... The new league, both gentlemen insist in-sist will be a god, and will not lo a "Fourth of July" league. Mr. Thlel, who will own the, Salt Lako franchise, says he, docs not propose to float a collection to l.nc Jumps have eaten up tho profits of baseball. Salt Iko has always been a good baseball town, and ban always had tho big crowds of the league A winning team in Salt next vear would undoubtedly draw big crowds. , . W II Lucas, one of the orgaulzers of the new league, who will also be Its president, has been in baseball all his life. He was lorn and raised at Cleveland. Ohio, and learned the rudiments rudi-ments of the game on the town lots there At Concordia college he lirst distinguished himself as a 'ball player and manager. In 18S?. he played center cen-ter field on tho Red Caps of St. 1 aul. In 1SS4 he played at Chippewa rails. Wis., a3 catcher and third baseman. Pitched for Hudson. The following year', 18S5, he pitched for the Hudson, Wis., team. In lStl he organized the Northwestern league comprising Milwaukee, Minneapolis. Minne-apolis. St. Paul. Duluth. Oshkosh and Eau Claire. He managed the Duluth team that year and won the pennant. He also managed Duluth In 1SS7. In 1S8S he organized the Interstate league, comprising Davenport. Dubuque Du-buque Peaorla, llloomington, Rock-ford Rock-ford Decatur. Danville and Crawfords-vllle. Crawfords-vllle. He managed the. Davenport team that year and won tho pennant. In 1SS:) he was manager of Burlington. In K90 he managed the Tacoma team of the Pacific Northwest league. In 1S92 he assisted in organizing tho WiseonsinAHchigan league. In 1S93 he managed the Kansas City team of the Western league During the years 1S04 to moo he was in the logging business in Wisconsin. In li I'm i he served as president and secretary of the M"Utana State league. ' In 1901. together with J. J. McCh'Pkev. he organized and served as president and secretary-treasurer of the Pacific Northwest league. In 1003, the year of the war with the Pacific, Pa-cific, coast league, the name of the league was changed to the Pacific National Na-tional league, which finally closed the season of 1003 with Settle, Spokane, Butte and Salt Lake as members. In 1001 Seattle dropped mit and Boise was admitted. During the years 100'. and 1904 Lucas served as president, secretary and treasurer. In 1903 ho and MeCloskey organized the present Northwestern league. John J. MeCloskey. the head of the BJtte club, Is well known in baseball circles. He has been In previous years head of the Butte league. He has also been manager of the St. Louis Nationals, manager of the Milwaukee, Mil-waukee, American association team, and later wan associated with Lucas in the organization of the Northwestern Northwest-ern league. L. F. Thlel. owner of the Salt Lake club, is a new figure In baseball circles. cir-cles. He has been Indirectly associated associ-ated with games both In Chicago and Tacoma, but this will be bis first experience ex-perience as a franchise owmer. stock or to tako up a collection to guarantee tho ' continuanco of the league. Ho eald his permanent investment in-vestment in n new fcasehall park would be tho guarantee for his sincerity sin-cerity in the matter. Mr. Lucas and Mr. Thlel have been In the city aoveral days incog , trying to arrange for a suitable location for a baseball park. Negotiations were begun for Walker'a field, but a long-term long-term lease such as tho promoters wished was denied, and finally arrangements ar-rangements were made of tho leae of the Eighth South site. Plans Are Announced. Alibo-gh th new league has not vet been formally organized, It is understood un-derstood that Mr. Lucas will be its president and that the loaguo headquarters head-quarters will be In Salt Lake City. The plan Is to have six games every week, with a weekly rest day every' Monday. Ladies' days and children's days are a part of the plan of the new league. Mr. Thiel announces that work on the nowi Salt Lake baselall park will be 'begun within two weeks. His plans include a grand stand that will seat 5,000 people, a ladles' parlor, a club bouso for tho players, a grass diamond and field, with parking both Inside and outside of the enclosure. He sold that ho would remain permanently per-manently in Salt Lake from now on. Mr. Lucas emphatically denies that the new league will be an outlaw affair, af-fair, lie says that on October 21 ho secured protection for tho territory covered by the proposed league. On Sunday he leaves Salt Lake to attend toe meeting of the National Association Associa-tion of Professional Baseball clubs, to be held in Chicago on November 15. As soon as he returns the first annual meeting of the Union association will be held in Salt Lake. At present, Mr. Lucas said, Uio organization or-ganization of baseball clubs in all of the cities pioposed for membership except la Ogden has been begun. Within the next few days the organization organ-ization of a club in Ogden will be btarted. and It is (believed that tho club will be organized there. Salt Lake and Butte. The promoters of the league were chiefly concerned about the organization organiza-tion of clnbs In Rulte and Salt Lake, belieing that with these tw cities the luture nf the league rests. In Liutte, John J. MeCloskey, the former well known big league star, Is to have charge of the team. Ho has the Butte franchise and has secured a downtown park. Mr. Thici, as has 'beMi stated, has already secured the Salt Lako franchise and will finance the club. He denies that he has arranged ar-ranged with Cliff Blankership to manage man-age the Salt Lake team. lie says he has not yet secured a manager for the Salt Lake club, but is in correspondence corre-spondence with several big league players, and that he will lc sure to have a competent manager for the local team. Helena and Great Falls have both good down twn parks, and the organization organ-ization of these two clubs Is well under un-der way. Missoula is still flirting with the Northwestern league, and has raised SlO.uuO for a Northwestern league franchise. However, there is little likelihood of Missoula breaking into the Northwest league, so tho club already organised will be transferred trans-ferred to the Union association. History Discouraging. The history of Salt Lake as a member mem-ber of an Interstate league is somewhat some-what discouraging. In almost every case the league has Jeea a failure. However, nothing succeeds like perseverance, per-severance, and if things are as bright for baseball In I'tah and Montana as the statements of the promoters appear ap-pear to Indicate, Ihe league should ho a success. Tho tmubie has been In ihe past that the railroad fares in the |
