University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1913-03-28
We've Had Winter Baseball and the Inside
Came of the Sporting Pages-Now
for the Real Thing.

He did throw to third, that is, he
threw in that general direction. But
when the ball reached the vicinity OF
the gentleman who guards that bag
it was two feet over his head. By the
time the ball was returned to the dia-
mond there had been a change of two
runs in the score. AS it was the eighth
inning, it about cinched the game for
Chicago.
But then there came one of those
things, those uncertainties, which
make the game of baseball so popular.
The eighth inning passed with no
further scoring, as did the first part of
the ninth. The first St. Louis man
was hit by fast ball, the second sac
rificed, the third drew a hit. Before
King Cole knew it there were two men
on the bases with but one out and
Bresnahan coming to the bat. The ex-
citement was high. The crowd knew
that the batter realized it was his
fault that Chicago had scored. Two
strikes and one ball were called on
him. There was a moment when no
one spoke. Was it to be another Casey?
Inside baseball then went home, for
according to Hoyle, Cole should have
cOaxed another strike from the batter
Instead, he put the ball over the out
side corner of the plate The answer?
Well, when the haze arose from the
field a smoking tobacco company owed
the batter another cart load of muslin
sacks and the Cardinals had won by
a score of 3 to 3
The Player.Scribes.
When one may see games like that,
why talk of inside baseball? The only
men who ever really made anything
out of it were Eddie Collins and
Johnny Evers, and this was in the
form of checks from newspaper Of
fees for copy rendered" But farther
than that one can say but little. For
even when one had read discussions
upon this greatly harrassed subject,
inside baseball, he was as much out
on the salty water as ever. So why
even consider it? When some theo-
retical student of the game speaks of
it, merely say, Inside baseball? Per-
ish the idea! There is no such thing"
1t might be well to mention another
important phase of this great game
1t has been slightly spoken of above,
but a name should be given to it-or
rather him, here. He is called Fan,
or Bug, or what you may. His import
ance is seen when one realizes that
for him the sporting page is published
in the daily press. He is handled like
an only child. For him the managers
of the teams put cushions in the grand
stands and print programs, which he
uses until the first exciting moment
comes. Then he proceeds to devour
score, printing and all.
Fans come in all shapes, sizes and
descriptions. The most noticeable
thing, the characteristic, is that they
live, eat and sleep baseball. Nor is
there a common station from which
they are recruited. From the man at
the roll-top desk with the black
trimmed nose glasses down to the new
office boy who dusts the books, one
will find the baseball fan. And one
will see them at the games in one
mass-a sort of melting pot. And in it
it will not be unusual to hear Mickey
Malone, street urchin, arguing with
Reginald Astorbilt, millionaire's son.
No lines of caste or class will keep
Reggie from disagreeing with Mickey
when the urchin yells, Dat guy can't
hit it wild a broom"
Where They all Go.
1t is not at all strange upon warm
afternoon after Jimmy, the Office boy
has gone home to his grandmother's
funeral; Davis, the shipping clerk, has
gone home on account of his wife's
illness; Jones, the bookkeeper, has
gone home to attend to business
matter and the Boss has gone home
with a headache, to find them all
gathered together in one section of
the bieachers at the game. Grand
mothers, wives, business and head
aches are all in the making of this
national game. Which only goes to
show that the game of baseball is of,
by and for Americans.
Authorities differ in the matter of
origin of the game. An American
committee after a great deal of in
vestigation found it to be typically