Evening star., 1908-12-20
BALL PLAYERS IN. :.
WAY OFF JAPAN
Large Crowds Watch the
Yankees Trim the Brownies.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

YOKOHAMA, November %. 1905
The Japanese are receiving their first
lessons in what technically is called inside
base ball. Reach's All-Americans. who
arrived from San Francisco last week. are
their instructors. This aggregation is
composed of the following players: Jim
Delehanty OF the Washington club, Pat
Flaherty of the Boston National League.
Bill Burns of the Washington club. Jack
Bliss of the st. Louis National club, Jack
Graney Of the Cleveland club. Heinie
Heitmuller. recently drafted by Connie
Mack from the Pacific Coast League:
Babe DanZig. who plays with the Boston
American club next year; Nick Williams
Of the San Francisco club. George Hide
brand of the San Francisco club. Brick
Devereaux OF the Oakland club. Joe Cur
It's of the San Francisco club and Harry
McArdle of the San Francisco club. TIE
Americans have played four games AT
Toxic. winning them all. and in the pres
ence of major league city crowds.
When they met keio University club
last Monday 5000 Japanese rooters turn
ed out on a bitter cold day 10 cheer their
favoriteS, who have beaten all corners
this season. The grounds were tammed.
and ii was unfortunate that the seating
capacity wasn't larger. 1t was only re-
base ball fields at all. and as yet have
not made good jobs They have no grand
stands. and the bleachers are most crude.
In some parts of the fields platforms
We're elevated on which the Japanese
squatted. using cushions to soften their
seats. which is strictly the oriental style
OF sitting. At other points of lookout 1
noted seats terraced in little hills which
level platforms. In Japan base bali is
a mans game exclusively, for as yet |
have to see my first native woman in at
tendance. did see q couple at the big
Keio contest. but they were American.
We have found the audiences quite as
enthusiastic the American. Clever
plays are literally applauded, especially
when made by the home club. and the
Japs start to root just as soon as they
get men on bases, Over here they don't
enforce that rule regarding one man
coaching on line at a time. 1t Is no
uncommon sight to observe five or six
Japs back of first third base. and
sometimes both, telling one lonely base
runner how to negotiate the next sack.
Weak in Batting.
In the art of fielding the Japs are
quite the equal of the average Ameri-
can team. but their fatal weakness is
batting. They broke their necks trying
to swat Bill Burns slow balls. and they
will chase q curve ball into the club
house. Japanese pitchers have a slight
break on their balls, but they trust 10
their speed to win games After seeing
Bill Burns change his pace they essayed
to use slow balls. and their efforts were
amusing. The first slow ball pitched 30
an American batter struck six feet ia
front of the plate. and was thrown over
hand. When our pitchers are warming
up for game the Japanese players
crowd about them and note every move
made. Already they had heard about
the famous spit curve. and Burns, Fla
herty and Graney have been asked more
than once how it was thrown. If the
Japanese prove as progressive in the
art Of pitching as they have in other
lines the batting averages OF this coun-
try bid fair to take a big slump next
year. Though small in stature the lit
tie brown men have strong arms The
Keio shortstop plays as deep field
Hans Wagner. and yet he is hardly half
the size of the big Dutchman. In the
very first game against Waseda Univer-
sity the centerfielder tried to throw Jim
Delehanty out at first on a clean drive
over second. and. really. Jim had to ex-
tend himself to make the bag in safety.
And the catchers can wing the ball about
with great facility. OF course their
teamwork is amateurish, but no more SO
than the ordinary college club. Mark
my prediction. If the Japs master the
hitting end Of the game they will be
demons on the diamonds. and they are
very i1a Ole 10 Improve tnelr Datt1nR ma
terially, for they love base ball as no
other outdoor sport. The English colony
here have at different times tried to in
troduce such gentle sports as cricket
and golf, but never to any degree OF
success It was explained to the writer
that the reason that the Japanese were
partial to our national game was be-
cause OF the action. Cricket and golf
lacks ginger, dash and excitement which
cost them the support Of the Japanese.
Doc hall hoy vf,t
tent that it is now played all over the
empire, and on the way to the games
we see boys seven and eight years old
playing our sport in the parks and small
lots. There is already talk of organiz-
ing a professional league. but the time
is hardly ripe. However. 1t is only a
question of time when we will read OF
Japs jumping their contracts, or their
releases being bought at large figure.
This is coming.
Cheap Admissions.
While the attendance at the games Of
the All-Amercans has exceeded expecta-
tions the receipts are only fair. Ten. 70.
and 80 cents are maximum prices a man
ager can charge right now and get the
money. There are hard times In Japan
as we'll as In America. War with Rus
sra left the people in straitened circum-
stances even If they won. Then, besides.
who earns So a month considers his in
come extravagent. Hence. If Jap gives
up 80 cents at the box office to "a
base ball game he is parting with a large
chunk of his salary.
The All-Americans were given a well
come at Toxic second only to that ex-
tended to the fleet Count Okumwa. one
of the great men of Japan, threw the
first bali over the plate Count Okumwa
has been dubbed the William Jennings
Bryan Of Japan. He is radical I'm his
political views and yet a stanch support
er of the mikado, who owes his elevation
to the throne in a measure to his efforts
Count Okumwa was formerly prime mill
lister. but has now retired and Is givinS
his time to the advancement OF Wased1
University of which he Is chancellor He
is fond of base ball. and after the opening
game gave the All-Amerfcans a reception
at his palatial residence just few blocks
from the university.
The papers have their base ball report
ers here just as they do in America. and
all OF them print detailed scores of The
games. When the All-American landed
at Yokohama a regiment Of scribes viii
their camera men boarded the ship and
bombarded the players with questions ana
snapshots. There was even a lady re-
porter among them, who took charge o.
the wife of the manager Mrs. Mike
Fisher. About the first thing the lady
reporter asked was why was 1t that our
players were so much larger than the
T,,.,aco Tho lady reDOrter wanted