Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-05

Special Correspondence Of The Stsr.
NEW YORK, April f. 1908.
Ban Johnson's recently expressed ideas
about the too-vociferous rooters came In
for a considerable bawling out. One
prominent base ball man. however. who
Endorses Mr.. Johnson's views in that re-
spect is Frank Farrell the owner of the
New York club of the American League.
II can't see where there is any room
for argument about these noisy, witless.
sometimes foul-mouthed, never-let-up
rooters," said Mr.. Farrell the other day.
In my opinion they're a positive nuisance
and ought to be sat upon hard. The
game has got past all that stuff. Ruff
fianism among the players has been vir'
tually stamped out. Now it's time that
whatever hoodlumism crops out In the
stands should be squelched.
THE argument is that this is hard to do.
We don't find 1t hard to get away with
at the ball park that I am Interested In.
When one of these noisy, fat-headed root
ers gets too busy with his mouth at our
games here, a cop Is on hand to touch
him on the shoulder and tell him to cut
it out If he doesn't mind the cop. he is
picked up and removed from the STAND
or bleachers or wherever he may De- ano
all of his kicking and roaring around
doesn't make any difference. Not only
that, but the peremptory removal OF the
type of offensive rooter l have In mind
never fails to meet with the approba-
ton OF the fans in his neighborhood who
have been annoyed by his clack.
Spoil Every Ones Pleasure.
cit is time. think, that the fact should
be recognized that Just few OF these
blatant. unfunny. ripsaw-voced rootsrs
at game. distributed around the grand
stand particularly, are capable of spelling
the fun of a crowd for an entire after
noon. Some of the best patrons of the
game in New York complained to me
about those fellows for years.
II am not referring, understand. to the
general run Of good-natuTed rooters at
ball games, and neither was Mr.. johnson
referring to that kind. The chaps who
take the game as 1t develops, shooting
out entertaining cracks once in a while
and uttering silrewd little criticisms with
a laugh and no particular sting at the
end Of each-these boys are strictly all
right. and nobody has any complaint to
make about them. They add to the zest
of a game Of ball. They keep the bunch
in good humor. They're clever with
their roofing and they exhibit good taste.
Some Of them-not all. but a few-are
positively comedians. 1t isn't eny easy
thing to be one OF the genuinely enter
tanning base ball rooters. There are only
q very few of those fellows In each city.
and they're born. not developed. They're
witty fellows anywhere and in any COM
pany and not alone in base ball grand
stands. But I'm not taking the stand.
please take notice. that all rootere are
expected to be funny on peril of getting
themselves 6isliked. That would be ride
word that Is coming to the great mass OF
rooters who keep within bounds; who are
not malicious or malignant In their root
ing: who don't hug the delus4on that mere
blatant noise Is comedy, and who do their
roofing purely in the spirit Of fun and all
that.
Everybody interested in base ball
knows all about the offensive rooter
and what q miserable nuisance he Is
capable of making Of himself and does
make Of himself. MY idea In advocating
the suppressing of this Offensive type OF
rooter is far more in the interest OF the
properly behaved patrons OF the game
than in the interest Of the players. The
players complain a-plenty. too, OF how
they are ratified and knocked on their
playing stride by the noisy and insulting
rooters, but I'd like to see those fellows
how they worry the people by whom they
are surrounded in the stands and put
damper on the enjoyment Of their neigh
bors.
Thinks Hes q Comedian.
you've sat next to or close to one Of
these would-be grandstand comedians, no
doubt, and therefore you must know what
a terror he Is to the comfort of his neigh
bors. He hasn't an ounce Of humor In dhis
whole carcass. but he imagines that he
has Eddie Foy and Frank Daniels and all
the rest of the stage funnyists backed of
the boards for comicalness He keeps up
a steady roaring and bawling, and never,
by the least chance. does any crack he
makes contain one-eighth Of q grain of
sure-enough wit or fun. He imagines
that he's making terrific hit with the
folks seated around him. when as a mat
ter of fact they're all busily engaged in
hating him with all the violence Of which
they are capable and wishing that he'd
have sudden rush OF tonsilitis to tho
neck or something Of that sort that would
shut him up. He's generally a big, husky
1ummoX that can't be spoken peevishly to
by any one annoyed man for fear Of con-
sequences, and SO as a rule he has the
thing all his own way. Once In a while
the whole gang around him will refuse to
stand him any longer and let out a big
bleat altogether. demanding him to sit
down and give his face a rest; but the
plug-ugly only imagines that they are
jealous of his wit. and he is too thick
skinned anyhow, to know when he is an
object of hatred and he never lets up un-
til the game is over. Don't you think that
a fellow like that ought to be snagged out