Tuesday was the end of a perfect day for Tom Bell.

For five years, almost alone, he has preached a sermon of sports that frequently reached proportions of evangelism in its enthusiasm.

Tom Bell, the mayor, along with maybe 2,500 others witnessed a game of baseball Tuesday in a park that will seat three thousand ultimately, and maybe more.

And what a game!

"It was big league ball," declared the mayor and dozens of others shouted "amen." A nine-inning game of one to nothing, with Albany on the losing end! That was even beyond Tom Bell's fondest dreams as the opener for the new diamond.

But it is not the game, nor the 1900 who paid to see it, that interests Tom Bell most.

His dream was a baseball plant second to none for a town the size of the one over which he presides as his honor, the mayor.

"For five years I have dreamed and talked and worked for a professional baseball diamond and seats and bleachers and dressing rooms," Mr. Bell said Wednesday. "The plant is not yet complete, but within three weeks everything will be.

"The directors of the ball club have borrowed $3,500 on individual notes of thirty-five persons and we have secured a $2,000 grant from WPA, making $5,500 which is to be used in lighting the field for night games, the first of which we expect to play in Augusta.

There yet are to be built dressing rooms and showers for the players, a ladies rest room and the bleachers. When all of this is completed, Americus will have a baseball plant easily worth $20,000," said Mr. Bell.

In his long fight for the park, Mr. Bell said his first real success came when city council and Sumter county commissioners became really interested, and showed their interest by liberal appropriations for the Community Center.

"After that, it was comparatively easy," said the mayor. "Americus has at least 500 dyed-the-wool baseball fans, most of whom have given me their moral support and financial aid."

The baseball field is only part of the athletic center visioned several years ago by the mayor. The basketball shell or recreation hall, already completed, was in his scheme. Tennis courts, probably a small golf course, running tracks and buildings for county fair and other purposes are planned and in time will become a fact in the community life of this city and county.

Americus baseball grounds and the Americus club are under the management of a board of nine directors. They are:

W. T. Anderson, Leslie, president; James W. Smith, Americus, treasurer; J. R. Blair, Americus, secretary; Alton Carter, Plains; L D. Slappey, Americus; Harry Dixon, Ellaville, and W. P. McArthur, Phile Jones and Zera Littlejohn, of Americus.