The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-23
ExRLAININ0 BAsEBALL.
A 0peeiauSt Treats the Curious behAVipr
or the PITCHER VITA DipIOmacY.

Of the Pitcher VITA Diplomacy.
Il was Al q professional baseball game
In P~hIladelphia. On the great TERED hall
moon benches 5000 people made so slight
a allowing that one heard their number
with surprise.
Only the bleacbers were full. They,
with their solid alienation OF coats a
| faces, looked like q dark blanket thickly
polka dotted with dinRy white.
Up lint the second story OF the grand stand,
where you pay rs cents and don't care VINO
knows IL, sat rank and fashion, indicated
by the presence here and there OF f1owery
hats. That the wearers OF the hats were
familiars of the place would have impressed
even a detective, for when a stray ball
hot from the bat shot straight in among
! them, striking the boards with q fearsome
crash, not q shrek, not q equeal, Scared the
tense silence Of the throng. .
Downo on the floor below. in the very front
row, and just beyond the screen behind the
bat, sat a woman who had never seen a ball
game before. Beside her sat a friend.
You nay only so cents in the lesser glory,
but you really see better than from any"
where else, and you really feel that you are
one Of us. Flowery hats count for nothing
there. All distinctions sink unnoticed
under a happy haze Of ball.
Tbe woman had been curious 70 s5e che
national game and the friend had been
obliging. g..
but he had asked. will you have 1t
college or professionally The difference
Ia that college teams sometimes play real
ball, while professionals play 1t alWays.'
sNow, don't try to explain things said
the woman ~virtuously as they settled
into their places. Il know what q nuisance
IL would be. Just watch the game and
enjoy yourself, and let me look
And yet she asked questions. Quee-
tons like: "They don't I'm very well.
do thsyf What makes them fsll down
he make Guoh angry faces at that other
man with the muBzle or his headf.s
Next her. on the other SIDE IRON the
youth Of the proletariat. liberal minded,
1reRarious. The fate that gave him that
day no mate had been unhnd. He suffered
for some on to talk TO.
a query Of the wopan's With Il don't
know this young man supplied the facts
from an evident specialists depth OF In
formation. He did II shyly k%nuokling his
hat still further back from bis freokled
brow, shiftang his cigarette hard eport.
| Guu Wtlh ahe
But he might never have spoken. might
never have existed, for all the recognition
the friend vouohsafed. The friend was
no enob, but he considered that youth
excessive in local color when had
q lady In charge.
Again and again IL happened. A less
genial one would have CONCEALED. But the
red headed one too truly abounded In GOOD
fellowship easily TO believe In an intention
to rebuff.
and his remarks grew rarer n more rare.
The woman was sorry. But this WA Inc
friends party, and he knew best.
and waped. Then came q moment when
the visiting pitcher, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to
pyroteohnio sweep n velocity Up mis-
play, stood suddenly motonless with the
ball held close before his face. -,
Seconds few, and still he stood, with
ns .Sg, a shift b t. from GnIn that w SSssr steis oSS h.
be waiting for'" cried the woman, now
keen after the idea OF he game.
I'm sure l can't guess answered the
The red headed youth stirred uneasfly.
Mental stress showed In the very twist OF
he had meant mot 70 speak again. But
this was too mucht His resolution shook
and fell.
Win his mouth 60 wrenohed awry that II
spoke straight into the woman'e ear, he
jerked out, deep, and hoarse, this brief,
enlghtening truth:
dat BALL"