El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-18


- the great American game Of base
ball has made considerable head
way in Australia the past few years,
especially since the visit Of the Yankee
fleet, there is little chance Of it sup
planting the national game Of cricket
here. at least for many years to come.
II ever.
The Australians have taken great
interest in baseball and play it regu-
larly, but they look upon it as a prac-
tice or preliminary game to cricket,
and that takes away all chance Of ma
tionalizing it.
The Australians that is, full 80 per-
cent of them. are from British stock,
and it is like taking candy from the
baby to deprive the Englishman Of his
game OF cricket.
Cricket grounds are just as numer-
Gus IN the cities here as baseball
grounds are at home, and probably
more so, for the people here are Ger
fainly Of the sport loving kind, and
have many public fields or commons
where the young men and even the
boys Ckiddies) can play. In every va
cant lot you will find boys playing
cricket the same as you find small
boys at home playing baseball in al
1eys and any place where there is room
to move about
Cricket the Island Game
Even in all the island possessions IN
the South seas you will find the game
Of cricket played both by natives and
the white men At Suva. in the Fiji
islands, they have excellent cricket
grounds. and the natives all play II.
In ithe Norfolk islands they have reg
uIar matches and in the New Hebrides
islands the game flourishes. OF course
IN all these islands the British rule,
and naturally the game Of cricket goes
with them.
During the past month we have had
the opportunity Of witnessing the
crack South African team play the
best teams in Australia and while the
game is slow compared to baseball,
there are many points in cricket which
command admiration Some of the
bowlers have great speed, and they
use curves, or breaks, as they call it
similar to our pitchers The feeders
also make splendid stops and pickups
Of the hard balls which lead the writer
to believe that some of these cricket
stars would make great baseball play
ers if they were 10 take up the great
American game
The peculiar part of it here is that
the Australians play baseball in the
winter season (Which averages from
about so to 20 degreesl and thus pre-
pare themselves for the cricket season,
which comes during the summer time
from October till March
Have a Baseball League.
They have baseball league and
follow the rules Of the American and
National leagues Of America very close
". There are fully 20 clubs in Sydney
and they are being formed all through
Australia Baseball is surely on the
advance. but as long as they play it in
winter instead Of summer, and as a
practice game to prepare for cricket
there will be no chance to get a very
solid footing here. I honestly believe
that If the two big leagues in America,
the National and American. would form
two strong teams, or even one team Of
about Is players. and send over here
TO play against the local mines, helping
the home team out by loaning a regular
battery, it would prove a paying ven
Eure and at the same time do much to
popularize the Yankee game over here
The team could be sent over here at the
close of the league season in the United
States and a regular series Of games
could be arranged in the principal
cities here. A short tour of japan
could also be arranged at the same
time. Here as a chance for Ban B.
johnson and Charles ". Murphy to get
busy.
Football Draws the Crowd.
While cricket is the national game
here, it is football that draws the pig
crowds where important matches are
on such as the international contests
which have been In progress Of late.
Unfortunately the football season came
TO a close the first of October ard viii
not begin until about April, so we will
miss the chance of seeing the crack
teams in action The Australian ma
tional game is popular here. being
combination Of the Soccer or Associa-
ton and Rugby game. This is the
game that has been suggested as
substitute for the strenuous American
game Of Rugby and which the Califor