The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-23
TEACH bR|TONS
BASEBALL GAME
Americans in London Are Max
ing Another Effort to In
trOduce Pastime.
LEAGUE is FORMED AND
HAS GOOD PROSPECTS
Big Names Back Of Enterprise
Go Far Toward lnsuring
Its Success.
Special Cable to The Tribune.

0peClaI oaD!e 10 Inc tribune.
LONDON, July 22.-Once more pushful
Americans in England are making an
attempt to plant baseball on the British
playing fields. as a counter attraction TO
cricket and football. Four years ago a
number of young enthusiasts from Har-
ward, Yale. Princeton and elsewhere
found themselves In and around London,
so for awhile they ran games at the
Crystal Palace. Clapton and other famous
grounds. gaining considerable publicity
thereby. But the squirt did not last The
men left London. or felt other claims too
pressing on their time.
There followed period during which
the fortunes OF baseball fluctuated. I'LL
TO try his hand at popularizing 1t ,encour-
aged by the new life he had been able TO
Dut into British boxing.
he found the few clubs, then forming
the basis OF the baseball association. but
an Indifferent medium for an active cam
paign. but very soon his own enthusiasm
and personal magnetism began 10 con-
Vince men that 1t was better 10 take
hand in baseball game than TO loaf
round the ringside watching professionals
play either OF the British pastimes.
When he had found his men he had
difficulties, for the Britisher does not take
very handiIy to new games. so every time
contest was arranged, any team with
an American two in 1t literally wiped
the floor with Its opponents. Then Tom
my Burns had TO answer the hstic chal-
lenges that came across the ocean. and
the budding baseballers. But he left a
bunch OF players in far better shape than
when he took a hand at baseball organi
cation.
British Baseball League.
So. out Of that, came the present Brit
ish Baseball league, governing body TO
which. when this season began, four clubs
were affiliated, Within a month with n
little pioneer work In likely quarters the
number rose to six and is voting Amer-
cans are plentiful over here this year,
scattered up and down the country. there
Will be a least a dozen clubs in opera
lion before the season is out.
Among the best workers in this mission
OF sport are the American Rhodes schol
ars whose scholastic accomplishments at
Oxford have been criticised but whose
athletic prowess finds few, detractors. AL
both Cambridge and oxford several games
have been played. but. as In London.
the only way TO keep the enterprise afioat
has been to sprinkle the Americans over
both teams. so as to make the games
more like contested struggles than mere
walkovers.
nerve at a game like baseball till he has
had whole pile OF practice. so unless
there s somebody on hand TO jolly him
s9ns he snd a Pt tben to rSe badly 1 IN for
light his pipe and sprawl on the ground by
the side of a cricket patch as languid
onooker
Today the chief boosters of the alien
pastime are Charles King, n well known
figure in the football world. and A. A. At
kns. another all round sportsman IN other
Of his fancy King is president and At
lSins secretary OF the league.
1T is too MUCH to hope; said King;
that baseball will ever oust football and
cricket as the British national game. but
that does not by any means destroy the
possibilities of baseball as very popular
England These things are affected by
climate and national temperament TO so
great an extent that IT is difficult to ex-
plain just how different games become
associated with various countries. But
We hope TO graft baseball on to the liking
of British sports and we believe we
have very fair prospect OF success
One OF the biggest aids towards this
end was the special coronation match
played a day or two after the crownins
OF King George between teams represent
ling England and America 1t created an
interest In baseball hitherto unparalleled
in England, for the promoters were able
10 rope In n whole host OF coronation
notables as supporters on the grand stand
and today many an aristocratic sportsman
is discussing ways and means OF having
a cut at ii "
Big Names Count,
What that means to any variety Of sport
can only be seen IN England where it Is
necessary TO head your enterprise no
matter what, from q bazar to an athletic
meeting with the bic games that count In
public opinion just as General Booth's
Edward made 1t a pet subject for social
patronage so upper class aid Is needed To
make baseball the real real goods in English
keen on open air snort. from King George
himself 10 litte Prince John, there is hope
that they may be Induced To attend a
baseball game or two before the year is
out. If they do. ard express any en-
thusiasm for the play, then the game Is
made III England.
Apart from tho dilficuty of getting Brit
ish teams 10 traln up 10 the efficiency
standard the main problem of the pro-
moters hitherto has been the lack of
funds But now that has been overcome.
because several sportsmcn with long
purses hive come forward to set the
baseball league on sound financial foot
Ing. Ordinary British PLAYERS have found
baseball n more expensive game than
cricket football ND 10 now and as cash
is net plentiful among those who are
game has been abandoned In consequences
Now that these obstacles have been
removed baseball has the best chance 1t
has ever had on English soil II is a
common thing TO find UP to 10000 spec
Ia tors round football or cricket match
and the excuse Is that there are not
enough grounds available for the onIook-
ers to become plaTers themselves. But
all the summer there are ample football
grounds lying IDLE that might he used for
placed fields Of this sort are scattered
round London and II is on these. Arst OF
all that the. revived baseball league plan
They have HIT on good year for the
experiment. for London Is full of Ameri-
cans. large contingents of whom attend
matches and root with ~ vIeor that all
most startles prosaic John Bull out of
his pheymatic acalnn, In time he may
learn to rival rpclo Sam as baseball
fan.
Bathing 80 Saltair is simply, immense