Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

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The other business was more mundane. The season would open on April 19 and close on October 2. The All-Star Game was awarded to the Cincinnati Reds. Some disagreement occurred over the type of ball to be used: the American League owners favored the livelier ball used in their league for more hitting, while their counterparts in the National League preferred their league’s dead ball to highlight pitching. The meetings ended with no other significant business or any blockbuster trades.

In the middle of January 1938, Bradley made known to Cleveland fans that he wanted to schedule twenty-five games at Municipal Stadium. He proposed that all Sunday games and holiday dates be played at the seldom-used facility. He acknowledged that Bob Feller and Johnny Allen were big draws, and as many fans as possible should have the chance to see them in action. He added that the Cleveland Baseball Company would put in a strong bid for the concessions at all games played at the stadium.

Bradley’s plans were a mixed blessing to Cleveland City Council. They would be able to negotiate with the ball club for a percentage of the gate while keeping all parking revenues. On the flip side, council knew few other concession companies qualified to handle the food and drinks required for a crowd of 50,000 or 60,000. Once again they had little choice but to yield to Mr. Bradley, who had taken away $50,000 in city rent when he vacated the stadium after the 1933 season. There had been several different administrations of city managers and mayors, yet none had been able to keep Alva Bradley from imposing his will on the city of Cleveland.