Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-04-24
Clever American Tells How
EnqIish Failed to Appreciate
Eleventh Inning Finish.
KING QUESTIONS DECISION

kIN6 uUES IUNS UEClolUN
BY Henry Beach Needham In Golfers.
Knowing that the Giants and White Sox
were 10 conclude their world tour in Lon
don by displaying Americas national pas
time before the English sporting colony,
Golfers sent Henry Beach Needham to
make upon the British mind. And Eng
land was waiting griInly for the test-to
be shown that baseball was a greater
game than cricket. The Americans iur-
came-they were seen-and Mr.. Needna
tells who conquered.
We gave the English too fast, too
exciting a game! They simply couldn't
make out what baseball was all about.
Bewildered, puzzled as to what to
criticize and how to frame their criti-
cism, yet obliged in self-defense to
condemn, they could only repeat as If
by rote: 1T isn't cricket"
No. it isn't. BY this time every fan
in America is familiar, through the
press reports, with the game of base
ball played before the king and $4,000
people. From any angle it was a great
game. and IL one considers 1t from an
inside standpoint the contest--it was
not an "exhibition"-was nothing short
of marvellous. Indeed every
AioAA Ne nSyGA NR w
form by the presence of loyal Ameri-
cans, by the big crowd and by the in
terestedness Of the king of England.
The Kings a Fan-He Doubted" the
Umpire.
His majesty sat directly back OF the
home plate, and when q man scored or
a batsman returned to the bench or the
men raced In from the field, they could
study his face and. seeing plainly that
he was absorbed in the play, find that
inspiration for superior effort which
the home fan ordinarily supplied.
The king came we'll prepared. In
he wasn't content with his r~udimentary
knowledge. Why did they do SOP" or
What's the meaning of that?" were
questions he fired at Irwin Laughlin,
first secretary Of the American en-
bassy, who acted as keeper of the royal
score card. This interest was con-
stantly reflected in the kings face, and
his approval he showed Enthusiastically.
Also, the humor Of the "bleacher talk"
did not escape him. When Buck
Weaver dropped to the ground to avoid
a wild pitch, and an American yelled:
That's right-kill him!" the king
laughed heartily. Later when Weaver
got his base on balls. the king re-
marked: We'll, he deserved some
thing
But, most pleasing of all, his ma
jesty took exception to a ruling of the
umpire! A slow. tantalizing ball to-
ward the second baseman was stopped
by h pitcher. who slipped on the green
turf and got the ball to first-well, a
little late. Gus Axleson of the Chi
cago eco Herald" and 1 agreed.
The king concurred.
II should doubt that" he exclaimed
to Mr.. Laughlin. Thus was the judg-
ment Of Bill Klein questioned. by
George the Fifth.
An 11th-inninq Finish-and They
Didn't Get it,"
But the missing fan had the effect of
checking the enthusiasm which the ex-
citing contest naturally generated. We
Americans found ourselves internally
nov to jump up and yell, but exter-
nally constrafning from such undign-
flied behavior. England saw a game of
baseball that would nav set the polo
grounds or Comisky park crazy-and
England retained it's sanity to the last
or let me tell 1t again in an incident
which emphasizes the sudden turn in
the tide of victory.
In h last half of the 10th inning,
with the Giants two runs ahead, a
White Sox on second. and one man out,
! oPC1AS CoIlS W OdI uclGTInlnGQ
to pull the game out of the fire. All
White Sox rooters expected him to do
1t. Unlike h renowned Casey, Speak
er did not dent the London fog thrice
and sit down; but he failed to hit safe
ly. Two out!
Then came the unexpected
that turn of events which makes base
ball so unlike cricket. Big Sam Craw-
ford lofted the horsehide into the
preachers of left center, scoring
Weaver ahead of him! Think, for one
moment, of h effect that would have
been electrically produced at any ball
park In America. Then turn to this
picture: Buck Weaver waving his cap
as he crossed the plate. White Sox
Jumping around in delight. Americans
indulging in ~denatured cheering. the
King applauding in kingly fashion
and the English as stolid as the re-
dictionary delegates in the act of re-
nominating Taft! 1t was the humilia-
ton of. a great moment.
The British Enjoyed tho Game Anyway
Now. 1 don't mean to say that the
Englishman didn't show a semblance of
real feeling. He did. Although COM
Pletely encompassed by British avoir-
dupois, 1 felt the general tensity of the
situation when Speaker and Crawford
faced the Giants pitcher in the tenth.
II we eliminate from our conclusions
the iegions of experts and The vast
oak on his shoulder (Which admit
considerably reduces the a~ttendance)
the "re-sid-u-um'' consisted of good
natured Britons looking for amuse-
ment and surely finding 1t. They
didn't know the game and made no
bones about it; they asked questions
freely. regardless of the incidental dis
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