Tacoma's Baseball Franchise on the Brink
A professional league team threatens to fold after the city fails to support them, despite a winning record.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At a special meeting of the Pacific Northwest League yesterday morning, the directors of the Tacoma club surrendered their franchise, admitting that their town would not support a professional club, even when it was tied for first place in the pennant race. A committee consisting of President Rockwell, President Hardy of Seattle, President Sawyer of Spokane, and Manager Barnes of Portland went to Tacoma in the afternoon to appeal to public-spirited citizens to keep the team in the field. If this does not succeed, Salem will gladly take Tacoma's team. Manager Barnes says that if Tacoma drops out, Salem, Oregon, will undoubtedly take its place. The team members blame the lack of attendance on 'rank umpiring' that favored visiting teams.
“Admitting that their town would not support a professional club, even when it was tied for first place.”
Sports franchises in the Pacific Northwest have historically faced instability, reflecting the region's long struggle to build and maintain sustainable civic institutions that the community will consistently support.
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