Date: Febuary 20, 1928
Source: San Mateo Times, By Joe Custer
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After months of dickering, the San Mateo Blues are in the California State baseball league. At the meeting in San Jose yesterday, developments that had been proceeding via underground channels or by virtue of rumors and guarded statements came to the top in a sensational manner with the following results:
Gilroy, Hollister, Monterey and Santa Cruz withdrew to form a league of their own.
San Mateo, Stockton, Napa and Vallejo straightaway joined the California Conference league, making a total of eight clubs. The others are San Francisco Stock and Bond Exchange, Oakland Piggly Wiggly, San Jose and Modesto.
The action yesterday came as a surprise to most followers of California bush baseball as it had been supposed that the league composed of San Jose, Modesto, Gilroy, Hollister, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Oakland Piggly Wiggly and San Francisco Stock and Bond nine was settled and ready to go ahead.
However dissatisfaction of officers, especially President Jim Nealion, was voiced by the several of the clubs in so forceful a manner that the meeting yesterday produced marked changes in personnel and several minor ones in by-laws.
Clubs object
In voicing their objections to the league from which they withdrew, Gilroy leaders had this to say: “we don’t want Jim Nealon as president of the State League at any price. We want two divisions instead of one. Our club is allied with Hollister and Monterey, and we intend to form a league of our own, if we cannot be recognized as the Southern Division of the State League.
The people of Gilroy lost $34,000 the year Nealon was president of the Mission League. We want to have a club in the State League, and when it was first announced that there would be two divisions, everything was agreeable. Then came the election of Nealon to the presidency, and immediately the Gilroy management was besieged with applications from a lot of Nealon’s ballplayers who wanted positions at $25 and $30 a game.
We can’t pay salaries like that and don’t expect to compete with clubs like San Mateo, which may get back into the league, and has a high payroll. Then Nealion is talking about pain umpires $15 a game, and wants a salary for itself. Gilroy, Hollister and Monterrey won’t stand for this, Nealion wants to run things on to large a scale.
Upon entering the circuit, San Mateo was allowed to play all of its games at home with the exception of two, one at Napa and one at Vallejo.
The forfeit was also raised to $200, instead of the $100 decided upon previously.
A meeting will be held in Oakland before the end of the month, to draw up a schedule and formed details in the by-laws changes.
