Norwich bulletin., 1913-02-28
BASEBALL REAL THING
 IN MELTING POT LINE.
Sons of All the Tribes sf Earth Ars Rounded Up on the Playing Field of the National Game.

One of the most interesting things about the national game in America to-day is its cosmopolftanism. Starting from the sand lots, and go : ing on through the minors to the ma- jor leagues themselves. the same rule holds forth. And. up at the top a more cosmopolitan array of players probably could never be found in any play cricket; only Spaniards and Mex jeans indulge in the bull fight; but everybody plays baseball in this country, be he black or white, fish, development of the national pastime from boys of one nationality, if the game in embryo ever did consist en tfrely of youths of one nationality, also is worthy of note
 Probably the earliest steps in the evolution of the game consisted in gathering together a team from among the village boys to play teams from other villages. Gradually this custom spread to hiring athletes from other villages for the more important games, and finally rounded out in the garnering of diamond heroes. of any nationality, from all over the coun- try.
 All Teams PoIygiot.
 To-day the custom has spread to such an extent that a club which rep resents any big league city is a rarity if it happens tol number among it's ranks more LQdn three prayers OI tuS same nationality. It was early found too, that good material for ball clubs could be found elsewhere than with in the borders of the United States. $
 The avidity with which the Cubans took to the game and the skill with which they played 1t soon led Amer ican league scouts to hurry down to the island to see what they could gather in the way of big league plurns. Soon the darl<-slinned islanders' f0 fr ha hf,Y scores. A few years ago when 1t was announced that Arelianes. 8 Mexican, had been garnered by the Boston Red Sox, crowds thronged the park to see names as Marsans, A1neida and Acosta arouse curiousity. their entry into big league ranks Is no longer thought a decided innovation.
 soekaIexis Was Great Curiosity.
 Early history of the national game reveals, too. the presence of Ameri can Indians among the iine-ups of outf1elder, Sockalexis. when he first began to wear the uniform of the Cleveland team, was regarded much in the same light as is 6 Borneo wild man in a circus. To-day not much is thought of redskinned pIayers, unless as in the case of Thorpe, they have distinguished themselves in other fields.
 To-day there are just six American aboriginies in the major leagues, Meyers, Thorpe. Bender, George Johnson, Zack Wheat and Shegg Meyers and Thorpe are with the New York Giants. Bender is with the Phil adelphia Athletics. Johnson is a Chi cago White Sox man: Wheat plays the outer garden for Brooklyn, and Shegg is a recruit pitcher at Washington
 The Iniun Players.
 The tribes to which each of these players forefathers belonged were land rich in the early days, with their aggregate territory ranging from Maine to Florida in the east and to the Mississippi and beyond in the west, Yet, to-day. some of the des- cendants of those tribes are earning their salaries in baseball.
 It all goes to show the funny duiriks fate gives to the destinies of man. Indians, Cubans. Mexieans, irisf1nen. Frenchnaen, Germans. and fifty ether natienalities thrown together in one melting pot, the major leagues to issue forth, cosmopolitan still, but bound together by a eemmen knowl- edge in a wonderful game. and giv- ing of their best te entertain the fol- lowers thereof