Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-06-22
BASEBALL POPULAR
LONDON TAKES KINDLY TO THE
AMERICAN GAME.
Many Clubs Recently Formed and
Promoters Are Busy Among
Football Players to Adopt
the Game.

London.-Over here they are trying
! to make baseball popular. The move
ment is being pushed by two English
men. VINO have been to America sew
eral times and have seen the game
! played. Their names are Cook and
McSweeney. They are very enthusi-
astic and 1t looks as II their method
| of procedure to make the game popu-
lar Is bound to meet with success.
The persons who tried to introduce
the game before always brought pro-
| fessional players over from America.
This was mistake, az the pros were
too fast and played too intricate
game for the conservative English
men, who could not follow its details.
The present scheme, however. Is far
different and is already taking good
hold on the English fancy.
An association has been organized
under the name Of the British Base
ball association. This has member
ship Of ten clubs and 1t Is calculated
that this will get the EngIi.hmen in
terested In playing the game them
selves. Besides, there are many
Americans here who would be only too
eager to get in a game OF baseball.
and these men are all available for
the English clubs. With the assist
ance of few American players. the
English will probably feel more con-
ddent
The first big game was played re-
gently at Plumstead. The match was
between the Oxford Rhodes scholars
and a team representing London.
Needless to say, the Oxford boys won
rather easily, all having played the
game before, and besides that, Ahey
were players of no mean ability, w.
c. J. Kelly, an American, played at
shortstop for the London nine, and
surprised his teammates by his agili-
ty. He was all over the infield, and
to get fly, something unusual to the
Britishers. Mr.. Kelly is manager Of
James e. Sullivan's London Office.
The English were not at all slow.
They got onto Slide, Kelly, slide"
without any difficulty. One time after
reaching first, Kelly stole three bases,
sliding into every one to the accom-
paniment Of the slogan by his team
mates.
There were about 1900 people pres
ent and nearly all seemed to enjoy
The game. They liked the coaching
done by one of the Yanks, but they
thought he cid not do enough of it.
All sorts of remarks were passed
about the game. well, I'd rather
see golf" said one Britisher Yes,
beastly dull" agreed his neighbor.
20, isn't that fellow funny, sliding
that way on the ground?" But there
were plenty that praised it, and few
cranks are soon forgotten.
Each of the spectators was handed
pamphlet, entitled, Baseball in
Brief explaining the more intricate
features. The score card published
for this game was the first baseball
score card ever gotten up in England,
and it certainly created surprise
among the English.
An effort is being made to get the
football men to take up baseball The
former game is played in the winter
here, and the promoters of baseball
figure that If they can get the foot
ball players to take up the diamond
game in the summer that that would
make 1t a success. The people are
relied upon to go to watch their
favorite football favorites play any
game, and once they see baseball and
get to know it, they cannot fail to
see it's merits.