The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-07-05
.News From World Of Sport.
BASEBALL Is
: POPULAR With
BLUEJACKETS
Great Lakes is One Place
: Where Sport Thrives
on the War
nv Associated Preas.l

Great Lakes, Ill, uly-5.--Basebali
is prosperous within the confines OF
the United States Naval Training
station here. 1t thrives on war,
which has added to the station
teams players who have thrilled
thousands by clouting 3, home run
or tanning pinch hitter as members
sof league or college teams. Bad
weather, in the commercial sense of
sfpe term, fails to upset anybody con-
seemed, since it is here, more nearly
sperhaps than anywhere else in the
country, that the game is played for
the love of the sport. rather than
for profit.
There are more than sixty teams
composed of sailors in the making,
and the stations athletic director
has under his direction more players
than are under the jurisdiction OF the
National commission. Everybody at
some time or other after entering
the station plays baseball.
Perhaps that's why the game
.thrives out here" smiled an officer
when asked why baseball Is the
overwhelmingly popular sport among
the bluejackets, while professional
leagues are bemoaning public in
difference and wet spring.
Baseball here" he continued,
Consists of players, not spectators.
A visit to the station furnishes
proof of this statement at every
turn. Just within the entrance gates
Sis the athletic field. It is to be noted
that the grandstand is of limited
capacity. Passing on, the visitor is
likely to have the thud OF ball in
Hlitt constantly in his ears, as he
passes men off duty who spend their
leisure In putting EN- across" by
way of practice for their next games.
- Nearly Seventy Mines.
q Within what is called the station,
there are % regularly organized
teams, while in the stations Sub
arb," camp Paul Jones, where the
overflow population is housed in
tents, there are 40 more mines, These
fail to include hundreds Of amateur
diamond artists, who keep eternally
IN trim while lying in wait for a
chance to make team when another
contingent of men ordered to sea
takes away players already signed
up.
Besides unceasing encouragement
given all forms of athletics by off,
GERS at the station, the sailors have
gloves and bats from many sources.
Charles Weeghman, president of the
Chicago Nationals sent five dozen
balls, big bunch of bats and gloves,
masks ard chest protectors. Charles
Comiskey, owner Of the Chicago
White Sox, wrote an article for the
station paper, The Recruit, praislng
the baseball material he had dis
oerned among the men and declaring
that there was no reason why the
station should not have one of the
finest teams in the world. He argued
that baseball helped military train
ing and that drill certainly improved
baseball, basing his statements on
observation OF his players who were
drilled during the training season
this year.
Trained athletes though they
are" he said, there were many sore
muscles among them after their
first drill in the manual of arms,
which is one of the finest OF exercises
for physical development.
Jimmy Sheckard, scout for the
Chicago Cubs, has aided in coaching
the young players and Jimmy Archer
has offered to devote q large slice
of each week to athletics at the sta.
AOn