Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-06
By JOHNNY EVERS.

II strikes me InaC tner6 Is phase
of baseball few have ever stopped to
consider When watching the stars
of the game perform, when studying
the box scores, when reading of the
millions of persons who annually. pay
tribute to the national game, do you
ever stop to consider to what and upon
whom baseball depends for it's popu-
larity-for it's very existence?
The answer is found in every school
yard, in every lot, on every open space
where a ball may be batted and
caught. yes, even in the streets of
our big cities. ! refer to the youth
of this country. 1t is the backbone of
baseball 1t may not realize it any
more than many of it's elders. Yet it
| is true, 30 49, - = 'T1-'- . - "~'' 4" - ' -'
Stars Game as Boy.
Every boy at some time or other
has tried to play baseball. That is
the reason he becomes a fan. He un-
derstands the game. He feels that he
Is part of it, and the person who
feels that way is the one who derives
the greatest enjoyment from sitting in
the stands and watching others play
1t. 1t is like everything else. One
has to understand the game to be in
terested in it.
Take a man who is regarded as an
all round athlete and introduce him
to squash or some such game for the
first time as spectator Do you
think he'll enjoy it? Not much. Yet
he is an all round athlete, supposedly
interested in anything where athletic
prowess plays part. Why won't he
enjoy it? Simply because he does not
Understand the game. Let him play
it once or twice and you have an en-
thusiast, in the embryo at least
Hence, the popularity of baseball.
Lots of Practise Needed. Il
The fundamental, or, rather, the ele-
Elentary school of baseball means
application. While practising the
game study it, too. To do this prop
erly plenty of practise is necessary.
do not mean by this that the reg
Glar school studies should be shirked
for the sake # finding time to prac-
tise. On the contrary, you will find
that the ball players who attain the
greatest success in their chosen pro-
feSsion are men who are studious. A
youngsters early schooling is arrang-
ed to develop his brain and make it'll
capable of grasping things as much
as for the knowledge that he acquires
have referred to this because it
aids me in bringing out the point
want to make-namely, that the play
er who succeeds is the one who has
learned to use his brain
AS | remarked in a previous story,
there are many players in minor
league of this country who can outhit
and outfield players in the major
leagues, but. they have been relegated
to the minors because they could not
outthink their rivals in the majors.
Some one once remarked that it is
impossible to do two things at once.
Literally speaking, that some one was
letter perfect. However, this axiom
does not apply to baseball, You can
do your studying during school hours,
and during the other hours that it re-
quires, and yet you can apply yourself
to baseball without placing either in
jeopardy.
IL 10 DTdiu NOTh lIldI the dig league
manager first looks for when a recruit
is turned over to him for a trial. That
recruit is supposed to have natural
ability at hitting and fielding or pitch.
ing, else the scout never would have
recommended him Therefore, the big
league manager weighs the new one
above the shoulders at the first oppor-
tunity.
Likes Player With Head.
Satisfied that he has a head, the |
manager is willing to devote time tOl
correcting the mistakes in his style
of play; to teaching HIM the finer
points of the game as II, is PLAYED in
the majors. But If the manager de- |
Cides that the recruit has no head, that
recruit il amcng the first to be put |
en- the skids which lead backward |
into the bush.
This is true because TIE player who /!