Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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At 8:30 a.m., November 6, the polls were opened. In the general election nearly two hundred thousand people cast their votes. In less than four hours, half of the voting was completed. Results were tabulated and the bond issue passed by a comfortable margin, with 55 percent voting yes, 45 percent no. It was quite a vindication for William Hopkins. He had worked tirelessly to get the project on the ballot. Now he could celebrate with all the people who had devoted their time and energy to make the new stadium a reality. Cleveland was getting a world-class stadium; all it needed was a baseball team that could fill the seats. It was now up to Bradley and Evans to make that happen.

The next few weeks saw the Cleveland general manager and his scouts pick their targets for the 1929 team. By the middle of November they had zeroed in on two of the best outfielders obtainable: Dick Porter and Earl Averill.

Dick Porter was born in Princess Anne, Maryland, on December 30, 1901. A left-handed hitter with some pop in his bat, he played his collegiate ball at St. John’s College in Annapolis. His outstanding play there got the attention of Jack Dunn, the owner-manager of the Baltimore Orioles. Without much hesitation, Porter signed a contract to play for Dunn’s ball club.