Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-08
WORRY ABOUT EXISTENCE
OF GAME UNWARRANTED
Baseball Will Como T,acI. Stronger
After War Than Ever Before,
Says Bachelor.
GREAT GAME STAGED IN PARIS
Sixty Thousand Men Saw Hot Con-
test, Which Showed BasebalTs
Popularity With American Soldiers
Abroad.
ny T.. A. n,Tr,I,E1.op

Abroad.
ny l.. a. BATCIIELoR
PARIS. August 81 tby maiD.-Manv
baseball fans who have attained Tho
degree of bnGdom wherein Ty Cobb's
der's string Of victories are the only
things worth talking about are wor-
ried about the future of the national
after another either enlists. is draft
ed dr. Or makes mi heroic dash to the ship
marching mi home some of the stars viii
thing of the sort and that there will be
hi n nm to replace them. An this worry
Ba DsGns'G Is I NOV onn however
its own in spite Of the Es" tem 10 no!S
iin int RI ndo. Of the war but It is GO
Perhaps there will be more PLAYERS
ana a, fever spectators, than there used
TO- TO De after the boche has been subdued.
TO dete riorate. The game is being kept
ave ,hn, IN FRANCE and some of the men
Joined the army are getting so ' de-.
voted to it. while temporarily detained
stances.
-, The greatest game of ball ever play
OFF At one OF the American base ports
in France; So. far as the degree Of
mechanical perfection exhibited by the
participants was concerned. IL probab-
~ was one of the worst games. The
Fan whose appetite is whetted to Il
bats might have found it more anus
ing than impressive. but it was. new
pointed the moral ea that ep% wSsn Ais1 it
he is going to play it. In spite spite Of a Hades
Every hat and Rail- I'm U,c.
the s'T dS th nSu men were in this port
number and ene s t fhaye eam an 9n
siss T6s ne Ne ex Is athletic fasi
MALTA In France. dug up every last bat
and ball and glove that could be found.
includtng some gloves that even Donie
know. uses glove until there is moth
ing left but the strap and then res
about to throw on the ash heap.
me soldiers weren't even half salts
been stripped of everything that could
be used in a ball game. Those that
hadn't been lucky enough to get in on
the distribution decided that the small
matter Of having no equipment wasn't
going to stop them. Ii nobody would
lend them any and there was none to
he bought, they would make some.
The ball WAS a fearful and wonderful
thing. absolutely Guiltless OF any in
frinsement Of the Spalding and Reach
patents. 4 round stone. picked up on
the beach, formed it's core. Around this
unyielding missile were wrapped some
rags. and over this ;re tape. Sur
roughly stitched. 1t was the hardest
and the "deadest" ball ever used in
competition. \ giant couldn't have hit
it over 100 feet with telegraph pole,
and IL took good lick to drive II even
as far as the pitcher. Still it was
ball.
as catchers in this strange contest re-
fused to face the canouflaged boulder
without some protection, as they made
| themselves glove. y couple OF old
for this protector. Somebody cut up
an old shoe to provide leather for the
eace or the glove. and this was sewn
on by the same genius that had
achieved the canvas cover for tho bail.
IN, ne strange contrivance had no fingers.
put was ned in place by binding it
OH the hands with Irvine.
Cut SapIinEs for -Hnts,
Nobody bat the catcher boos,ed F,
glove, The inhelders and outiieIdcrs
Used their bare hands. and the first
throws without Protection, never viii
be the same again Their DUKES. now
FeI Fem e, Prize Chic Chicago hams.
Ont = pats these Ingenious soldiers
them into the desired lengths. shan
Ing In. the handles with jack knives.
or these green sticks, the wood flew
In showers all over the infield, and the
sap deluged the feeders. There was
Fellow SIe sS's ,bs4 i In this queer game
about his bats. He had to have them
made to order to his own particular
NODE, from the best seasoned wood.
EVERY time ne got into hitting slump
ne wrote letter to the bat Factory
and complained about the inferior ma
terials and design OF the sticks being
in
oleachers would have had some trouble
IN recognizing him rs the young man
that picked up the first. sapling that
came handy and threw out his chest
when he succeeded in hitting the ball
all the way to the shortstop
or all the handicaps in the way OF
an, the men seemed to have just as
much fun playing it as though thew
s had been cen provided with the best pos.
| roasted the umpire. and argued among
themselves Just as they used to do at
nome nome when Things were moro conven
tional. And after it was all over. tho
losers asserted that the winners were
lucky stiTs.
The Y. NJ. c. y. is doing It's best
to make it unnecessary for American
soldiers to demonstrate that one can
play baseball with nothing but en-
thusiasn as starter. but the army in
france is growing so fast that some
times the facilities ut the Red Trian-
time ago, Arrangements were made
with French factory to turn out bats
Of very satisfactory quality for tho
there. SO far the efforts OF tho
French TO initiate the ca,cher's mitt
they are persistent. those FrencnmeI.
and some day they hope TO make
gloves that Ray Schalk would be proud
| TO call his own.