Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-08
Jap BALL TEAM GOOD
Orienta|s Play Better Ball
Than Is Imagined.
SMALL MEN COMPOSE NINE
Players From Flowery Kingdom
Will Make University Clubs in
This Country Hustle.
SMALL MEN COMPOSE NINE

CHICAGO. May s.-"Waseda, Waseda
Waseda. sa!
Da wassy, da wassy. sa wassy. SAL
1t sounds even worse than 1t looks re
duced to writing. 1t is the Waseda
University yell The college base bal
players from Japan emit 1t before TAX
ing the field.
Some seven years ago Waseda Uni.
versity sent a base ball team to Amer
lea. That was practically the start OF
the American pastime in the home OF
the mikado. Today base ball Is on a
different scale. They no longer wear the
Japanese tabi or sock. but are equipped
with the regulation spiked shoe. Bas
ball gloves. masks and other parapher-
MALTA are made after the American pat
tern by home manufacture, and TIL
spitbaIl and the squeeze play are as IA
miliar terms to the japanese college
chap as to the school boy who adorns
the San Francisco bleacher section.
They are still hacking somewhat, sc
| they admit, in the art of pitching ant
batting, but II they learn as fast in the
next seven years as they have in the
past they will be wonders. easily capable
Of meeting the best amateur teams in
the country.
teen players. three Of whom are pitchers
two catchers, four outf1elders and the
rest inf1elders. They are in charge OF
A. Takasugi. a professor Of English ir
his home institution, as we'll as grad
uate of Northwestern College and teach
er for several years at De PAW, Ind.
Prof. Abe, known throughout japan a:
the father Of base ball." because i,
| was he who practically gave the sport q
start, was unable to come. occupied as h
&c y~xtk =, T. Tor
involved as president of the base bal
association. The fasteners. however
are In competent hands, since Prof. Taxa.
sugi has Joined hands with II. o. Page
one of the University Of Chicago pitch
ers. who was with his team in Japan
and has come here to welcome the Wis.
itors and assist them as assistant man.
ager.
Generally speaking. the japanese have
team OF small men. The giant in the
| sacker this season. OF measures about
8 feet . inches in height. and looks to tir
the scales at 175 pounds. The midget. or
the other hand. is Omachi. who plays
shortstop, and blushingly admits to fee,
3 inches and a poundage in comparison
The balance Of the men struggled in be-
| tween these two sizes, with tendency
toward the smaller one.
Like the University Of Chicago. maroon
| is their color, and they may look q trif<
larger when they don those maroon uni
forms.
Base ball in Japan started about twenty
| years ago. but it never came to be 6
popular sport, being played for the mos
part by some Of the athletic clubs and q
few college mon. Ten years ago Prof
| Abe undertook to revive the sport. and
| succeeded so well that three years later q
team was sent to the United States. The
visit to Japan Of Mike Fishers Reach
Stars. followed by the journey of the
| Chicago collegians. as we'll as the pres
ence Of white men who were competent
| to teach the inside workings of the game
| is responsible for the change.
Two or three big manufacturing plants
have already been established in Toxic
| for making base ball uniforms, balls
bats, masks. shoes and the like. Ameri
can goods have been patterned after. but
| the Japanese prefer to patronize home In
| dustry when they have q chance.
Our boys are learning base ball very
| fast. and it is coming to be a popular
| pastime in Japan said Prof. Takasug1
ut is not much OF q professional sport
| for the miKado will not allow an admis
sion fee to be charged outside OF Toxic
, and Yokohama. but all the boys are learn
ing. and it is wonderful what they car