Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-05
The Fascination of Base Ball.

The professional base ball season IS
drawing to a close. 1t has been one Oh
the most successful on record as REGARDS
attendance In practically every city IN
the United States represented in the ma
jor leagues the crowds have been unus-
ually large throughout the year. and 1t
is likely that when the accounts are cast
I'D at the close Of the season 1t Will be
found that more people have attended
the games than ever before. The ques-
ton recurs why professional base ball
exerts such a fascination upon so large
a percentage of the people. The intercity
rivalry runs high. Notwithstanding the
fact that the representative teams are
composed Of hired men almost exclu-
sIvely drawn from other cities than those
in whose name they play. They are
traded back and forth, bought" re-
leased and otherwise shifted about al
though they were mechanical chattels
instead Of human beings. Still the en-
thusiasm runs high over them individu-
ally, and each player is regarded as a fel-
low citizen and as a hero when he per-
forms capably.
This spectacle always perplexes for
eigners who attend the games. They do
not understand the secret of this fasci-
nation which holds thousands Of people
In thrall, causes sedate business men.
clergymen, members of learned profess
sions and women all to drop their dignity
and join their voices in the mad acclaim
when the home team scores a victory.
a we'll played game Of base ball is the
finest spectacle in the range of sport for
the reason that every play is made openly
and the fine points of the contest can
be easily understood and are keenly ap
preciated by the average, Individual.
There is an infinite variety in the plays
No two games are ever alike, and indeed
no two innings. Never Is precisely the
same combination repeated. However far
ahead one team may be there Is always
the possibility more or less remote. to be
sure, Of a sudden change Of fortunes, a
collapse of a perfectly performing pitcher.
the commission Of an error or some other
unexpected development opening the way
to enough runs to tie the score or to
shift the chances Of success from one side
to the other.
Base ball is SO highly developed today
that only the most skillful players are
tolerated In the larger leagues. Each
man must be in some degree a specialist
an expert fielder, pitcher. catcher or bat
ter. Men are trained to occupy certain
positions which they fill with a special
aptitude. The pitchers are exceptionally
effective nowadays with the various
handicaps which have been invented In
their favor. The games are as a rule so
close that few hits punched in a single
inning. or an error, may turn victory into
defeat. 1t is more true today than ever
before that the game is not over until
the last man is out in the last inning.
And this Is why base ball remains today
the great American spectacle. why the
games are witnessed by tens of thou
sands why immense sums Of money are
invested in the sport and why the people
become almost fanatical partisans with
faith unflagging. always ready to cheer
the hero of the hour. It is wholesome
device to get busy people out of doors
to enjoy an entertainment which permits
of no consideration Of business worries
and brings all classes in close contact on
a plane Of perfect understanding.