The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-05
BASEBALL ENGLISH
SHOCKS FOREIGNERS
BrltIshers and Others Stand
Aghast at Weird Accounts
of Games

NEW YORK, June Am English gen
tleman, actively interested in the field
sports Of his own country, landed in New
York not long ago, and to the friends
who met him, expressed the wish to see
a game Of baseball, the national pastime
of which he had heard so much but with
which he had not the slightest acquaint-
ance. His willing friend was anxious to
please, and suggested that before making
a pilgrimage to the baseball grounds it
might be well to read some Of the re-
ports Of the games as described by the
able young men employed by the sport
ing departments of the New York daily
newspa pers.
Their expert criticism and explanation,
it was assumed would make the stranger
more or less conversant with the game
in advance. Taking this advice he bought
a newspaper of that mornings date and
before long was clamoring for an inter-
prefer, a dictionary and cold towels with
which to enfold his madly whirling head
piece. In less than one column of space,
these are some of the fragments which
staggered his understanding:
"CheSboros Slants were too crooked for
Bay to size up. Bradley boosted cloud
skim to Fultz. Turner turned Keelers
swift hopper over to Schwartz. Fultz
got first by bouncing slow one over
Dusty Rhoades' noddIe. Elberfeld wal
loped wickedly, but Lush grabbed it as it
was sailing over his head. F'ultz got too
gay around second, and was pinched a
mile by Rhoades' quick snap to Tur-
ner.
Schwartz slashed a hot one that near
ly took off Chesboro's pedals, but Will
liams dug it up in style and got 1t over
Chesboro's fippers, and the latter after
chasing it up made a crazy chuck to
Camel, and the batter ambled to sec
ond.
Mcclure aimed at Lush and the latter
didn't have to take a step to get the
globuie Keeler's tabasco tap bounced
out OF Rhoades' hands. After Flick
Iambasted a screamer to right, Elberfeld
endeared himself to the hearts of the fans
by getting in a luscious one-time soak
over second. Flick fiocked to the plate
grasser to Elberfeld, blanketing Turner,
and RhoadeS raped the breeZeS. Four
dopey chucks started Lajoie, Rhoades
made three mutty stabs at three step
ladder shoots and sat down. Bemis float
ed to Williams, after he had made a mess
OF 1T when he trapped Chesboro's fungo
foul. Williams got in a cheeSy single
that hoped over Rhoades' roof, Ander-
son Sauntered on four wide slants. Gan
zel did the proper caper by sacrificing and
dying on first. Anderson was run down
at the plate when he tried to score on
McGufre's mushy splash.
The baff1ed Briton gasped: My word.
fancled they played the game with a
bat and ball. but neither of these
requisites is. mentioned once in this eX-
traordinary piece OF literatur 1 thought
| might learn the hang of a new game,
but l swear l don't feel like graphing
with a foreign language -.~
/. The incident suffices to show that base
ball has bred a language Of its own, in
tell1gible to great multitude of Ameri-
cans. else such stronge. jargon as this
Wouldi not fill space in a newspaper of
wide circulation. And yet to a foreigner
and TO many OF our own people the de-
scrfption would convey scarcely more
meaning than so much Sanscrit. A literal
translation dug out by perplexed
Frenchman would be an. amazing per-
formance. A specimen paragraph thus
treated will be enough, by using simply
the dictionary. equivalents in. English:
The inclinations from "a direct line or
level OF Chesboro were too crooked for
Bay to measure. Bradley lifted from be-
meath cloud Ito remove floating matter
from the surface, to Fultz. Turner pre-
sented Keeler's swift one who or that
which. hops. Fultz obtained first (?) by
bouncing a slow one (?) over Rhoades'
head Cused contemptuously). Elberfe Id
boiled vigorously with much noise, roll
ing and bubbling. wickedly, but Lush
grabbed it % as it (?) was sailing over
his head. Fultz, became too gay C?0
around second CD and pinched (pafnful
pressure of any kind) five thousand two
hundred and eight feet (from what and
wnyO, by the quick. sudden effort to
seize with, as the teeth, to Turner