Brevard Baseball Club Not Treated Fairly, Says Ralph Fisher, Aug. 19, 1921

Brevard Refuses New Schedule. . . Manager Fisher Explains the Partiality of Hiring Umpires—Larger Towns Hog It

By Ralph R. Fisher

The Brevard Base Ball Club has practically been expelled from the Western North Carolina League. This grew out of a change proposed by the other three members of the league, which would call for six games per week instead of the four games per week, according to original contract. It is claimed by |Gudger, Fisher, Macfie, Miller Hatcher and others of the local club that in order to make a radical change in the rules of the League and to vary the original contract that a unanimous vote is necessary. The proposition that manager Fisher would submit is that the season be divided and let Brevard have the first half of the pennant and that the late season start with all clubs on an even footing for the latter half and that the winners of the two halves meet in a 7-game series for the pennant.

Last week’s games were evenly divided by all the clubs, and Brevard leads the League by a net margin of 1½ games.

Manager Davis of the Asheville club called local men on the telephone to advise them to not report for games on this Monday and Tuesday. Brevard’s team did not go to Asheville because of this and the Asheville Club claims a forfeit of the game.

The main source of dissatisfaction in the League circles is President Brooks of Hendersonville. He is presumed to be in a more dignified position than to mix (partially) with the affairs of his own team in his own town but the trouble that Canton and Brevard have had in the League thus far comes at the instance of President Brooks. (It is to be regretted that J. Mack Rhodes was not chosen as President of the League.)

The speeches made by the men organizing this league were pretty. Flowery promises of brotherly love so suddenly turned to madness followed by “dirty” schemes. Brevard plays ball and has not been officially notified that she is a member of this league. Umpires have been selected, employed, fired, etc., at the instance of Asheville and Hendersonville and never once has Canton or Brevard been notified of changes of this kind until the “New” umpire was ushed in by the two larger towns. Not one umpire has been chosen from the smaller towns—always from the larger—yet history tells if some of the smaller towns know base ball or not.

Brevard is the sportiest town in North Carolina, according to its side. So small yet so “pepy” that Asheville (sloven) and Hendersonville (vanity) are jealous of her accomplishments.

From the front page of The Brevard News, Friday, August 19, 1921.