New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-13
Tobacco Fund for Soldiers
Increased by Game at
Polo Grounds
Beauties Collect Coin
Silk Stockings-They Carried
Filled With Money by
5000 Fans

A team from the Friars' Club played
| q ball game at the Polo Grounds yes
| terday with a team from the "Ziegfeld
Follies," but the whole thing was the
result of a misunderstanding. Cap
tain Marty Sampler marched his fellow
Friars onto the field in the firm convic-
ton that the opposing battery was to
/ be composed of Gus Van and Joe
Schenck, who also do little singing.
But Ned Wayburn played cruel
trick. He sent Van and Schenck TO the
coaching lines and trotted out pair
named Stringman and Ditzell to do the
battery work. Stringman and Ditzell,
it turned out, were not very good sing
ers, but they didn't try to sing. They
merely whitewashed the Friars for nine
innings, incidentally striking out most
of them.
Along about the middle of the after
noon CAPTAIN Sampler said he was sure
that Stringman and Ditzell had once
PLAYED for Montreal and that he would
appeal the game to the highest court II
necessary. He gave it as his opinion
that the "Folles" battery should have
been Rock and White.
5000 See Game
About 5000 persons, mostly profess
sional, turned out to assist "The Suns"
tobacco fund by watching Messrs.
Stringman and Ditzell play ball. They
also saw Friar Jim Corbett do the best
piece of umpiring that he has done for
| fifteen years. Jim's station was third
base, and he never had decision to
make. Mike Donlin, stationed at first
had to work little harder.
A Jazz band from the Midnight
Frolic" dispensed music from the
press box, and the Friars' team prompt
" entered into the spirit of the thing
by playing jazz baseball. Marty Faust,
who is a motion picture director in
| his spare time, was behind the bat for
| the Friars, but it soon became appar-
! ent that he was a misser, instead of
catcher. The "Follies" scored twice in
! the first inning-mainly by getting on
base and then waiting for Marty Faust
| to miss the ball.
/ At the end Of the inning Louis Mann
arrived. and Captain Sampler admon-
| ished the team to pick up. He re-
! placed Faust with Sam Smith. and the
"Follies" showed their appreciation of
the change by scoring three more.
Eddie Cantor, who was sitting in
field box, said he understood that the
scenario of the game had originally
been written for Fatty Arbuckle, but
that Arbuckle had rejected it, on the
ground that it was too broad bur
lesque.
Friars Get Real Catcher
At this point it became apparent that
something would have to be done to
take the minds of the crowd off the
ball game, so piano was carried out
10 the home plate and Van and Schenck
| proceeded 20 give song or two. Loney
! Haskell suggested that the piano be
, put in to catch for the Friars, but
/ Manager Jack Gleason took hand in
/ things by suddenly unearthing real
| catcher. His name was Charles Fuller,
and he was present in military uni
/ form. He wasn't Friar, but, then, AS
| Manager Gleason pointed out, String
man and Ditzell weren't "Follies"
! either. Gleason made a couple Of
passes with his hands, said Nov
you're a Friar." and Fuller went in to
catch. From that time matters i'm
| proved, although at the end of the
game the Friars still retained their
| amateur standing.
Ann Pennington, Allyn King and
other fair ores from the "Follies' and
| the Midnight Frolic" overran the