PITTSBURGH, PA. April 11, 1917 - The Pittsburgh Keystones were one of the eight charter franchises of the United League. But in February, Marshall Henderson sold the club to Swedish immigrant Gustav Amark, owner of a Broadway theater. Amark wanted to bring the team closer to his office, so he moved them to Yonkers, NY.
After the move, Pittsburgh fans became outraged. "This is just terrible," said one Keystone fan. "It will be strange to not have a UBA team on the Allegheny."
The fan is correct. It certainly will be strange to not have a team in Pittsburgh, a city that holds many professional and independent baseball clubs.
Pittsburgh residents began writing Commissioner Eagan of the UBA, demanding that a team be placed there. Yesterday, he responded.
"The league is aware of the fans feelings on the move of the Keystones to Yonkers. However, we first must remind them that there is nothing we could have done. The organizations are their own legal businesses, and can do what they wish."
"However," he continued, "my main goal as commissioner is to keep the peace between each league and it's owners, and keep the UBA fans happy. And you fans are correct in that not having a team that represents Pittsburgh does go against baseball tradition. So with that being said, I promise you today, that in our next phase of expansion, whenever that may be, a new franchise will be placed in Pittsburgh."
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