The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-06-23
Tho Game.

can, played Dy more tnan oV,VVV CiuOS
comprised of approximately 10000
men and boys over twelve years of
age, with practically the entire popu-
iation Of the United States as specta-
tors
The game is the most highly de-
veloped, scientific and logical form OF
athletic pastime evolved by man, and
the ultimate evolution of the one uni
versal game. For some form OF pas
time or contest involving the use OF
balls and sticks is INDUCED In by
every tribe of the human race now
found on the face of the earth, and
historical research reveals both In
writings and in pictures that ball
games have been played from the ear
Hest known times by every race OF
man.
The game ia the only one played
which is founded upon exact and
scientific lines. The playing field is
laid out with such geometrical exact
ness and with such close study of the
natural speed OF foot and power OF
arm Of the human animal as to give
the defensive team an exactly equal
chance with the attackers, and to
compel both attacker and defender to
approach the extreme limit of human
speed and agility In every close play.
n first base was 92 feet from the home
plate, instead of 30, baseball would be
ruined because, in the present high
development of the game, two feet ad-
ditional distance would make II al
most impossible for a team to score.
II the distance between the bases was
BS feet the scores would run into dou-
bic figures in almost every game. The
distances have been so calculated and
the players so distributed, that each
Of the nine men on defense has ex-
nctly the amount of ground to cover
that the fastest runner possibly can
cover with flying start.
Baseball once was defined as nine
durn fools clubbing a ball around and
nine other durn fools chasing IT," The
definition, while trite, is erroneous,
for, in the present day, fool would
have as great chance to succeed in
any Of the professions as he would in
baseball.
Charlie Bennett, the once great
catcher, who lost both legs In rail
way accident at the height of his ca
reer, illustrated this fact in making a
bull. He was watching a game at De
troit when a young base runner, try
ing to steal second slid straight at
the baseman. who was reaching to
take high throw. The baseman
blocked him with one leg, caught the
ball and touched the runner out.
II could have beaten that myself"
muttered Bennett in disgust.
Without legs, Charlie?" inquired
friend.
"Yes-without legs" snorted Ben
nett angrily, for l would have had
brains enough not to slide where he
could block my feet"
BESIDES interesting almost all classes
of Americans, including every inn
ported race after the first generation,
baseball has an added interest which,
20 a great extent, explains It's wide
spread vogue, and this is the element
of local popularity. The game in
America has reached an almost feudal
CITY pOSSNSSluB a Ddli
team takes the same pride and inter
est in It and accords it the same loyal
support that the cities of medieval
Europe did to their chosen bands Of
warrior knights. To what extent this
pride and loyalty exists is scarcely un-
derstood, a close race between teams
representing rival towns sometimes
creating a condition not far removed
from civil warfare.
Probably there is not one person In
one hundred over fourteen years OF
age in the United States who does not
understand at least the basic prin-
ciples of the game and scarcely one
native born American In a thousand
who has not at some time played the
game. A canvass Of the house of rep
resentatives at Washington made by
the late Joe Campbell during one ses-
sion of congress revealed the fact that
every man in the house understood
baseball and all except two had played
the game. One of the two was Grip
pied and the other was partially blind.
Campbell obtained from each member
a story Of his baseball experiences At
that time there were seven members
of congress who had played profes-
sional baseball, one of them being
Senator Arthur Pugh German.
The extent to which the people are
familiar with the game and interested
in It may be Judged by a story. A
few years ago the clubs representing
Chicago In the American and National
leagues won the championships in
their own leagues and met to play for
the worlds championship. Chicago
was in a turmoil for weeks, business
was neglected, and work in many
cases abandoned. The foreman of one
of the great newspapers was com
PEELED to send all the American league
adherents in his office to one depart
ment and the National leaguers to an
other keeping them apart so the pa
per might be printed without delay
Police records showed hundreds of ar
rests of men who fought while dis