Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-10-05
AMERICANS HAD
PRO. BALL MANY
Centuries AGO

"Pla-a-a-a-y Baw-aw-aw-al!" 1t is
not as new an expression of popular
impotence to have some one start
something" as some people may think.
Neither is playing ball for a living
strictly modern invention. In fact
thousands of years ago. way down in
Yucatan, impatient crowds sat around
in ball parks, yelled themselves
hoarse, beat one another in the back,
and threw their feather headgear into
the arena in the enthusiasm of the
moment, just as we are doing today.
Also there doubtless were Ty' Coobs
whose skill in batting" and fielding
was such that they could AFFORD to
hold up the management occasionally
for a few more hundred jaguar skins
a year by threats to quit professional
ball and go to farming.
OF course the game was not exactly
baseball. But the point is that It was
a ball game, that there were regular
ball parks-or courts-and that there
were professionals who played the
game for what there was In IT. TO
them. Maybe, the medium Of exchange
took the form of iagiar skins, pounds
of caeao, fancy feathers, or what not,
but it was money all the same, and
they could buy with It at the club,
or in TIE market place as the case
might be. They had their peculiar
systems of slang" too, at least in
some parts of the Americas, which,
translated into English means about
as much to us as ours would to them;
all of which is brought out by Mr..
Franklin" Adams in his story "lndi-
genousi Games In Latin America" in
the July number Of the Monthly Bull
letin of the Pan American Union,
Washington. That the bali game is
an ancient institution in the Americas
may be gathered from the following:
Game 10 American. r.
.'The ball game is indigenous to the
Americas. Perhaps the first simian
inhabitants found true sport IN catch.
ing the cocoanuts tossed from the tall
pa1ms-certain it is that several thou.
sand years ago the ball game had
reached a high state of development
in the 20 cities scattered throughout
Yucatan. On clearing away the mat.
ted forests enyeloping those maryeE
GUS ruins, ball courts were disclosed
near the most sacred temples, and,
from the elaborate hieroglyphics and
photographs ornamenting the walls
much was learned of the complicated
character of the sport Centuries art
er the passing of these ancient Ma
vans, came the first Spanish explorers
who found that younger race IN con-
tiguous territory, the Aztecs, had re-
yiyed the old pastime into a national
game" with q stone @God of Sport
beaming on every court. ~
"The popularity of these early
games was that the ball, when IN play,
was not thrown with the hand but
struck by the hip, around which the
player wore a protecting pad Of leath-
er. At each end Of the court was a
great stone disk with a hole IN the
center and through this orffce the
ball was driven before a point was
scored. Very naturally lively ball
was used, since rubber trees domin-
ated the forests. -
E"Old chroniclers marvel at the skill
and endurance Of the players, for a
game was seldom won under four
hours of constant play. Such exhaust
ing contests, with a dozen partlcl'
pants IA almost constant action. We're
not for amateur but professionals.
Thus, from the Aztec word oil, sig
nifyfng ball" came the word mollon'
oui, zone who plays ball for a living"
Brazilian Diamonds.
= Another form of ball game Is play
ed ny the Indian tribes Of the Cudul-
airy river region In the wilds OF Brazil,
A carefully leveled field lies in front
of the malokas, or large communal
houses, and daily, at 5 o'clock, the
men returning from the days fishing
or hunting, indulge in the sport-not
a complicated game like that OF the
early Mexicans but one calling for a
high degree OF skill, as two balls are
used by the players who drive them
with the hands toward their oppo-
nents. Yellow tail feathers OF the
Yappo bird are affixed to the rubber
balls for accuracy.
The Araucanian Indians OF South
ern Chile play an ancient game win
wooden clubs. In clearing, 900 Dy
IS yards, inclosed by cut branches OF
trees, these Indians play chueca,
which greatly resembles la crosse or
field hockey. The game is played
from childhood and the players &C
ouire great skill and the matches
draw large crowds. The game calls
for great endurance and while gen.
orally played in two or three-hour pc
RODS, several days have been known
TO pass before a decision was reach
ed. During the play it is not unusual
to hear a player cry, ~Am not real
pax tree?" or ''Is. he not a lions Leg"
after a brilliant stroke. Such is Arau- |