This post ran in the paper a few days before the first home game. I trimmed it down some. Above left, with Ty Cobb, is Thomas Shibe.
We, the owners of the Athletics, appreciate the debt we owe to those loyal fans who consistently have followed the Athletics year after year, win or lose. Their unrestrained loyalty has helped the players has helped the players and ourselvves overmany a hard series.
These loyal fans have meant more to us than merely so many followers of the game, interested solely from the sports angle. They have been our friends-true, boosting, loyal friends. To them the team was more than just an aggregation of baseball players. Every player was a friend. Their ups and downs on the field were followed as persistently and watched as closely as a big boy watches over his kid brother. We have fully realized this. We feel deeply our obligation to these fans. We used every possible care to put tickets in the hands of our loyal patrons only.
UNFORTUNATELY—
To our regret and despite all our precautions, some of the tickets may find their way into the hands of unscrupulous persons who selfishly think only of the few extra dollars they can make by turning their tickets over to speculators.
These persons will give no thought to the fans who have gone regularly to Shibe Park throughout the season and who now, through the action of those persons, must pay an unreasonably high price for the privilege of seeing the World Series.
It’s not fair, and we regret that such a situation may arise. Yet, there has been nothing we could do to prevent it except to refuse admission to Shibe Park to persons buying tickets from speculators. That’s exactly what we intend to do, wherever we can.
ONE WORD MORE: Do not deal with speculators, please. Every ticket is sold under an agreement making it void if resold. In justice to our patrins, we intend to make every effort to refuse admission on any ticket secured through a speculator.
Signed,
Thomas Shibe
President
John D. Shibe
Vice President
Connie Mack
Treasurer and Mgr.
