stockholder of the Indians, went on a buying spree. They spent the enormous amount of $30,000 on cases of Old Crow bourbon, whiskey, gin, and champagne. Trucks were hired to load the cases and deliver them to Sherwin’s lavish home in Cleveland Heights. Whenever the rich folks threw a high-powered party, Charles was there with all the booze needed. If you wanted something of importance done, there was only one man in Cleveland to call.
Otis and his committee got on the job without delay. To assist, he had the leaders from the Rotary Club, Cleveland School Board, Cleveland Athletic Club, and John Carroll University. They sent 125,000 envelopes promoting the bond issue to the voters of Cleveland. Stadium badges in the amount of fifty thousand were distributed all around the city. Posters by the thousands were printed to be displayed in store windows and downtown offices. A total of thirty thousand letters were sent to organizations that might have a potential need to use the stadium.
The committee assured voters that the Cleveland baseball club favored a lease that would be in effect for the duration of the bonds. They estimated the baseball lease revenue would take care of 50 percent of the bond interest the city would eventually have to pay out. A diverse list of other possible events at the stadium included boxing, football, soccer, track, carnivals, opera, and community Christmas celebrations. Mentioned specifically was the possibility of bringing the college football powerhouses to the proposed stadium, including Navy, Notre Dame, and a small school in Columbus named Ohio State.
Charles Otis and his committee knew exactly how to reach the voters. Banners were put up at local high school and college football games. Slides were created to be shown before movies at the downtown theaters. An army of speakers hit the ground running to plead their case at every possible club available. The campaign could not advertise on radio, nor could they attach signs to the many streetcars gliding up and down the east and west side avenues. Both means were prohibited at the time.
In spite of this, on November 1 they did manage to get Billy Evans and William Hopkins on WHK Radio. This was an informational discussion that would enlighten voters on the pros and cons of building a new stadium. With these two speakers, there were probably quite a few more pros than cons.
The committee had the support of the three major Cleveland newspapers. Though Charles Otis had long since sold the Cleveland News, he still had influence there. The Plain Dealer published editorials appealing to the voters to mark an X next to the “yes” box. Sam Otis (not a relative), the Plain Dealer sports editor, strongly endorsed the bond issue, writing, “We want a touchdown, we want a touchdown IN A STADIUM ON THE LAKEFRONT! Cleveland must have the stadium. It means more to sports here than any other project launched.”
Stuart Bell, the sports editor for the Cleveland Press, had a different angle as to why voters should support the stadium initiative. He wrote, “One argument we haven’t seen put forth in behalf of the proposed stadium on the lakefront is that it would be the first perfect baseball stadium in the history of the game.” Bell asserted that this would be the lone baseball park that would not be crammed onto an inadequate piece of land. There would be no short fences or sun fields, no entrance or exit problems, and parking spaces for everyone. Bell added, “There will be plenty of room on the lakefront. The stadium can be symmetrical and mechanically perfect as far as the outfield barriers are concerned. Best of all there would be no short fences to assist the manufacture of cheap home runs.”
The campaign for the new stadium did have its share of detractors. Several members of the Citizens League expressed stout opposition to the plan. They submitted a minority report that claimed revenues generated by the facility would not be ample enough to cover the costs. They questioned the estimated revenues of $250,000 and where they would come from. The gentlemen acknowledged that about $125,000 was expected from the Indians lease, but where was the remainder going to be produced? John Gourley, the Cleveland recreation commissioner, had sharp words for the dissenters, replying that “There are powerful influences favoring the stadium that are in a position to guarantee the appearances of great sporting events other than baseball.” When pressed for names, Gourley refused to comment.
On Friday, November 2, the Cleveland Baseball Commission held its annual banquet at the Statler Hotel. In the audience were 190 amateur ballplayers to accept awards and wolf down a gourmet dinner. City Manager Hopkins delivered a brief speech on the merits of a new stadium. He was followed by Max Rosenblum, the commissioner of amateur baseball and a longtime booster of Cleveland sports. Rosenblum urged all in attendance to get behind the stadium issue. Attending on behalf of the Indians were Alva Bradley, Billy Evans, and Roger Peckinpaugh. They sat at a special table and did their best to talk up the project.
The Cleveland Umpires Association held a special meeting at city hall to marshal the forces of the amateur ballplayers and coaches. It was their goal to assign at least one person to canvas every precinct and voting booth the day of the election. Not everybody was twenty-one, but the younger guys could hold signs and encourage voters.
The day before the election, twenty-five hundred people lined up attempting to register to vote. There was a presidential vote to be held the next day, but the last-minute registrants were likely more interested in the stadium issue than in who would be running the country. Estimates were that 250,000 people would cast their ballots in the city. There were no predictions made, but most of the big names of Cleveland publicly urged a yes vote.
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.
At that time the Orioles were a member of the International League and not affiliated with any Major League teams. As a result, Dunn held onto his best players without any real pressure from the big-league teams. As long as he was doing swell with the gate receipts, his players stayed where they were. Dunn had a knack, though, for signing and developing future Major League ballplayers, including Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore, Max Bishop, Robert “Lefty” Grove, and George Earnshaw. The only problem with Dunn was his reluctance to sell his stars, even when they were ready to move up to the American or National League. To placate the frustrated players, Dunn reportedly paid them well above the minor-league standards. It was said he paid them nine o’clock salaries in a two o’clock town.
Porter had to wait eight long seasons before he got his chance to leave the Orioles. The Cubs and then the Yankees tried several times to pry him away but to no avail. It was not until Jack Dunn passed away in October 1928 that Porter became obtainable. Charles Knapp, the new Orioles president, had no qualms about selling players. As a consequence, Billy Evans swooped and bought Porter for $30,000 plus two players, the total value of the deal coming to $40,000. Before he died, Jack Dunn had told reporters that Porter was worth considerably more. Dunn remarked, “Porter is worth $65,000 of anybody’s money. He can bat like a demon, field finely and is fast. He can improve any club.”
The twenty-eight-year-old Porter had an incredible career at Baltimore. In
