Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-03
"BASEBALL ON FOREIGN
 SERVICE"
By Mark A. Cornell.


 world,-has been increased by enc: namely, Yankee" in a baseball uni form. They accept the game as our national sport but why we go forth to the field in dress that is a faithful imitation of a zebra skin is beyond their ken. l wonder if an American could give a satisfactory answer to this most reasonable query.
 The ships kicker" makes it's way down the harbor thro' various ships of war, the coxswain maneuvering his boat around their huge bulks with the deXterity of long practice. The ships baseball team, the occupants of the boat-are on their way to the diamond which has been laid out in a nearby village. This diamond while in pro cess of construction had been a source of wonder to the natives, the popular opinion being that the Yankees were building d new aviation field and when a crowd of husky looking fel- lows arrived in various striped clothes with sticks and balls and these same queer looking people began to throw the balls at each other and whack the balls around with the sticks, the mystery deepened. Now, however, ! these same natives have become en- thu5iaStic fans of the game, but the uniforms are still upon probation. i There were those possibly who thought these mon members of the Italian navy, foG one of the players, whose | home port is somewhere in sunny i Italy in his excitement in the game ! would lapse occasionally into the use | of his mother tongue If the natives 1 but knew it, twas only to spare their | feelings While 1 am not an expert | linguist, the few words l could catch l of his shouted encourag agementS to his | fellow players would hardly grace an afternoon tea.
 1 There was one native who seemed quite anxious to become proficient in the Great American Game. The boys 1 handed him glove which he prompt ly put on backwards, finally however we started him on his first lesson We pitched four balls to him, three of | which he caught with his nose. The fifth had an unpleasant argument with his eye and this ambitions native de- cided that the science of baseball is born in one and not an art to be ac- quired
 Close to the field stands a canteen where beer, smokes and soft drinks can be purchased. After a hot game of ball it comes in very handy to slip in for cool drink. Pint glasses of cool, bubbling beer with the froth
 
 derful drink; but not for the
 Yankees for it is not allowed tC serve beer, so we just watch the other fellow as, winking at us over the toI of the glass, he drains it. With g
 sincere wish that he may choke before
 he gets it down, we turn to the bar ! maid with ginger ale please" We do not care for beer anyhow who said the grapes are sour? Neverthe- less, 1 should hate to see a bunch o1 , our ball players let loose around z lost keg of studs"
 The path leading from the deck tt
 the ball field is a veritable lovers
 lane; winding the whole way betweeI
 tall green bushes as full of the song'
 of the lark and thrush, but such a de ? scription would be untrue, as the onl! 8 birds who inhabits those bushes art village maidens who, curious to SCI
 the Americans, have allowed thei
 curiosity to conquer their discretion
 Their curiosity never grows strong l enough to lead them to the diamond ) The village consists of but one lonl street, lovers'lane piercing it thru tn $ centre. The long, dusty street, quit 3 narrow. lined upon both sides witt r queer dwellings made of vari- -colore'
 stone, stretches for maybe half a mil
 where it runs into ''lovers lane" halt . in it's cool shade as though to refresl . itself before taking up ntj weary pil O grimage on the other side. Lovers 0 jane" runs straight out to the countr 0 beyond its termination being the bal 9 ground.
 2 Sheep roam the hills adjacent to tn Q diamond, while just showing over tn = crest of one of the hills stands frien Q sheeps court of last resort,-th l IaI,, 4oi1 fV~nTV rI0nF
 but one verdict possible. The shep 3 herds delight in watching the gam D going on below them and find a grea
 deal of amusement in the antics c
 some of their flock who, wandering to far from the fold, catches a baseba n behind the ear.
 ! The games invariably come to a = end at four o'clock and the team start T down "lovers' lane" for the docks. Tn q other afternoon. returning through tn
 lane to the dock, Red, the pitche
 stopped for a moment to converse wit z one of the local maids. When he re joined the team he was lond in h praise. she has such beautiful hai ei such wonderful eyes and teeth lile tn IA stars" We gazed at him in w0nde Out of the corner of my eye l coul see McNab's hand tighten around tf bat he was carrying. But" question b ed some one, how can her teeth
 like the stars?" Well, you see. sa
 Red, they both come out at night It was only with the greatest difficult -2 we restrained McNab from breakiI u- perfectly good bat over an 'ivol
 dome"
 Arrived at the dock, the men pile
 in the waiting boat and the coxswa l. steered the same true course on u k return that earlier in the day hs re landed the team at the docks. fe The above description of our natiol
 al game was written by Mark c. Col
 nell New London boy who is now foreign service with the fleet He w an athlete of some note in New Lol . den before enlisting and he was one 0 the crew of the flagship which was i ] spected by King George.
 Some Mixup!
 S "The worst mixup I ever noted ball field was when I was wi Cleveland, says Memo Liebold of Il White Sox. "Olson was on first al Chapman on second. On ste le Chapman rounded third, and Olst
 thought he had scored, so also beat
 for third.
 'Then he saw Chapman returnii Id and started back for second. The O y, position caught him between secol