The Washington herald., 1907-08-28

Hammers TO BE Awarded 10 Win
ners-Funy zoo Entries Expected.
One hundred and six medals and seven
teen banners VIII be awarded 10 the sue
cessful individuals and teams in the an
nual playground tournament TO be held
next Tuesday and Wednesday at Van
Ness Park. under the direction OF the
Washington Playground Association.
There will be 200 participants in the con-
tests and ring games. and they will rep
resent daily attendance Of 5000 children
ct the various grounds, and total Of
1890 children. who use the grounds.
Excitement is reaching the highest pitch
among the youngsters of the various
grounds over the contests. Interest CEN
ters largely in the championship indoor
baseball game between Rosedale and Vir-
ginia avenue grounds. long ball between
Jefferson and Ludlow school grounds, and
the tether ball game between the Ludlow
and Virginia avenue grounds. These con-
testing teams have come out in the finals
and are said to be very evenly matched
Indoor Baseball.
Rosedale and Jefferson have each won
all of the indoor baseball games they
have played in the preliminaries with
other grounds. but they have yet to
meet each other II is pretty generally
conceded that the strongest tether bail
team in the city is that Of the Towers
School playground, but this team was
barred out Of the finals on account Of two
fouls. and will therefore not have
chance to defend its title Of champion at
the tournament Of last year. The Towers
team wishes 10 challenge the winner Of
the game between the Ludlow and Vir-
ginia avenue grounds, but Supervisor
Henry S. Curtis has announced that he
cannot premit an official challenge under
the circumstances and II the game is
played it will have 10 be without the
sanction Of the playground officials.
DR.. Curtis said yesterday that the
games TO be played next Tuesday and
Wednesday are those regularly played
on every playground under the direction
Of the Playground Association Of Amer
lea, Of which he is secretary He is of
the opinion that If Washington should
send teams 10 jamestown to partici-
pate in the contests to be held there in
the fall the local youngsters would carry
OF most Of the hOnCrs.
All Events to he Snappy.
It is the purpose of the officials to
make the tournament as snappy as pos
sible. All the preliminary events have
been run of, and nothing but the ex-
citing finals remain. No time will be
wasted between events. and a large num-
Der Of different sorts of games viii be
set in progress at the same time.
The games viii begin promptly each
afternoon at $3.50 o'clock, and the first
fifteen minutes will De given TO the play
ing Of about forty favorlte playground
ring games by twenty different groups Of
children. This viii be in the nature Of
an exhibition Of playground methods
Following this will come the athletic
contests. Two wagon loads Of the In
dustrial work Of the children viii be on
exhibition.
When the games are over on the sec
and banners have been made, Il Is pro-
posed that the children march in body
to the Franklin School, eseorting the
wagons carrying the Industrial products,
which they will put on exhibition In the
school.
No Admission VIII BE Charged.
No admission viii be charged to at
tend the tournament this year. An ad-
mission Of 25 cents was charged last
year, but as the officials OF the play
ground association is deslTous Of having
as large an attendance OF parents and
friends OF the youngsters as possible. it
was decided 10 90 away with this feature
and attempt to make up the deficit in
other ways
Lieut. John W. Crawford chairman OF
the committee on athletics or the as
sociation. viii have general charge of the
tournament. and will be assisted by
Richard Williams, athletic director Of the
Fairgrounds, as clerk Of the course.
Among those exported 10 be present are:
President Cuno Tudolph, OF the Wash
ington association; Supervisor Curtis. and
the Commissioners of the District. who
are in town. In the absence Of Commits
sloner Macferland president of the board
IL is expected that Commissioner West
will present the medals and banners to
the winners.
Long Ball Becoming Popular.
The game OF longball which is played
on the various public Fairgrounds OF the
city and which viii figure prominently in
the events next week, is something new
in this city. It is said to be winning
great favor among the children Of the
city. The game is merely a modification
OF baseball There is only one base. cor
responding in position TO second base in
baseball.
The other principal differences are that.
in order to put a runner out, it is neces-
sary that the ball touch him, or in other
words, that he may not be put out by
throwing the ball TO the base; that there
are no foul balls, all balls struck by the
bat being fair. and that a runner can
not leave the base until the pitcher de-
Iivers the ball. regulation indoor base
ball is used instead of a small hard, out
door ball.