Morris tribune., 1911-07-21

goes cue pane, ana "O.o,oo-o-o-o-o-o-
o-h!!i. yells some one inside. and you
and Fatty and Pug Nose turn and
skedaddle for the woodshed.
And that finishes the game for the
day, though. to be sure, there is an
| aftermath that ends In your respective
fathers dividing an expense of $3.50
and you and Fatty and Pug Nose Sleep
ing face down for couple of nights
That was baseball! (The other
mean-not the sleeping face DOWN.
That was baseball as she should be
played! That was fun! There was
real enjoyment in that sort of thing
(for there were aftermaths to but few
| gameS) and healthfulness. And so
there was. too. in the later games that
you used to have of Choose up sides"
where you'd all get together and elect
captains, and then the captains would
take bat and throw it from one to
the other and then clasp hands on it
alternately, and the man who would
be able to grip it last would have first
and regular bats and balls, and you'd
play until your folks sent over to re-
mind you that you had to go down to
the store and get loaf of bread and
some herrings and a pound of cheese
and some pickles and a bar of soap
and pound of Mocha and Java mixed
and lot of other things that you in
variably forgot.
And college baseball. Fine! You
had uniforms then-uniforms! And
they had plenty of dirt on 'em, and
large letters on the bosoms. and short
sleeves to the shirts. And you'd pull
the peak of your cap down over one
eye and cast an eagle gaze across at
the grand stand, where all the girls
were, and stroll carelessly up and down
with your head thrown back and your
arms crossed on your breast, and lit
tie mud smooched on one cheek bone,
and an expression Of savage concern
upon your visage. as though the fate
of several nations and thirty or forty
dependencies rested upon your sharp
and scraggy shoulders.
You were regular ball player then.
And you could almost hear C'almost,"
said the tall, statuesque blond in
the third row there say to her escort
as she bent upon you soft blue eyes:
"Oh. Jack. do look at that distingue
fellow there-the fine looking one with
the broad shoulders. Isn't he a perfect
specimen of young American manhood?
/ would so love to meet him.
And you would swell up so that
you'd have to undo at least three more
buttons in order to keep from stran-
Cling to death. In reality she was
probably remarking:
Gee! Look at the skinny guy with
the dirty face. Every time ! get my
lamps focused on him l wanter holler
Cash" Amt he the limitv'
But you didn't know that, and so 1t
was really just as we'll as if she had
said that which you felt she did Ah.
youth. youth, what comforting self
confidence, what vast vanity, what
inspiring egotism. Without it where
would you be? 1t may make other
people extremely tired, but it gives
you the nerve and the stamina and the
perseverance and the confidence to
dare and to do.
But where was I? Oh, yes-at col
lege baseball. That, too, was good for
you. 1t cultivated self reliance, quick
ness of decision, self control, resource
fulness, strength. 1t tuned the body
and developed the mind. And you
profited by both-at least l hope you
did. If you didn't it's your own
fault.
And now we come to professional
baseball, the amusement of the masses,
the business of the players. It's gi-
gantic thing. this professional base
ball. There are two big leagues
and 200 smaller ones. They have
presidents and vice presidents and Off
cials and umpires and rules and eXcep-
tions to rules and exceptions to excep-
tions. and they own property, and they