June 13, 1943

Rockford Morning Star

Rockford Peaches Attract 3,500 Baseball Fans in Seven Games Here

By Harry D. Milne
Morning Star Sports Editor

Although seven night games played by the Peaches, Rockford's entry in the All-American Girls Softball league, has attracted slightly over 3,500 paid admissions for an average of a trifle over 500 per game, sponsors of the league and of the Rockford team are confident that with a better break in the weather, attendance will show a steady climb upwards.

They point out that the league, not only in Rockford but in the two Wisconsin cities, Kenosha and Racine, has had a bad break in the weather along with everything else. At some of the night games in Rockford's first home series the weather was chilly enough to be ideal football atmosphere.

Thursday and Friday nights, when the temperature took an upward slant, the attendance also went upward with the best crowd of the seven nights witnessing the Friday night 14-inning thriller.

So far South Bend is way out in front as to attendance, over 3,000 fans paying to see the first three sessions there when Rockford Peaches and the South Bend Blue Sox opened the league season. Both Kenosha and Racine run into bad weather, being forced to postpone two sessions. Racine is planning an industrial night this week at a league game with the industries sponsoring the Racine team putting on an attenance drive with war bonds as prizes and have promised the league officials a turnout of 3,000 fans for the night.

Those who have witnessed the games here appear to like them, like the snappy way the girls perform on the field and their continual chatter while out on the diamond. Those handling the tickets at the local games say that the game has made many regular attendants, the same fans coming back night after night. Rallies by the home team, good plays and fast double plays bring as much enthusiasm from the spectators as at men's hardball games.

The league is an experiment by baseball men who are sure that, if the war continues another year, there won't be any major league baseball in 1944. If the midwest league, the leagues on the eastern and western coasts, prove to be attractive enough to bring in the fans in sufficient quantities to make it pay, that next season - if major baseball is out - will see a major league of girl softball players with the leagues started this year classified as minor leagues, stepping stones for the girl players to the majors.

Feeling that the experiment of offering the sport fans a girl softball league, composed of the best players in the United States and Canada, has not had a fair trial due to inclement weather, league sponsors plan to continue the schedule as originally mapped out. Later games may be played in the morning or afternoon in order to give the different shifts from the defense plants a chance to see the girls play, the same as is being done in the major baseball leagues.