The Washington herald., 1918-09-18
OLD REGIME IS
A DEAD ISSUE
.Evers Predicts Baseball
Revolution to Fol-
low War.
BY EDWARD NJ. THIERRY,

tPAris Correspondent Of the n. L A. and
The Washington HeraIdl
Paris, Sept. H.-Revolutionary re-
organization OF baseball will be in
eNltaoie after the WARMTH maj Ior
league teams recruited exclusively
from men who have fought for Uncle
Sam in France.
That is the radical statement made
to The Washington Herald ana the
n. E. A. representative in Paris by
Johnny Evers, for many years a big
league star and member OF several
worlds champion teams.
Evers is now in France, attached
to the Knights Of Columbus overseas
unit, promoting baseball among Amer.
ican soldiers and teaching the French
how TO play the American national
game.
They say the soldiers Of this war.
will be power in politics back home
after it's over" Evers said. Quite
likely-but put a bet down that the
boys fighting over here will be the
big power in the reorganization Of
professional baseball.
Baseball will never be as Il was
before-the same old stars drawing
fabulous salaries. The game has re-
NtiNtA lAf otdAA DtON III NAlt " at u
overland won for democracy. And
the big league stars of the future
and of the minor leagues. too, OF
course-are the doughboys playing
here within the sound OF the guns,
in the rest and recreation camps ard
in the innumerable American military
centers scattered over France
Boys never heard Of in baseball
are going TO go back home not only
with bright military records, but
possessors of baseball fame earned
in games snstched between battles.
I'D almost be willing to bet that after
the war the baseball fans in the major
and minor league circuits will Jhoot
OF the field any player. no matter
how good. II he can't show that he's
done his bit for Uncle SAM
Evers' opinion was born Of his sur
vey OF conditions here, OF the spirit
OF the men in the American army. OF
their continued interest in the game
as exhibited in their own games here.
and of their candidly expressed ap-
provaI of the suspension OF profess
sional baseball in the States for the
duration of the war.~
Every regiment has its baseball
team and in Paris the troops stationed
in or near the capital league season
the Paris league-which ended in
August The season ended with eigh-
teen teams out Of thirty that started.
the others having been compelled 10
withdraw because Of troop move
ments.
At the outset French army com
manders sent men 10 watch the games
with the view Of introducing baseball
TO French soldiers The results are
meager, however. During the latter
part OF August. after Evers' arrival,
he has been touring the French front,
at the official invitation Of Gen. Vidal
He was furnished a staff OF inter
prefers and the necessary ''materiel
de basebau"-meaning bats and balls
and in various sectors he laid out
diamonds. showed the poilus how the
game was played and picked teams
and umpired games. By the time
Evers left French camps early in
September to give baseball boost
among tia American soldiers the
French were enthralled with baseball.
In French newspapers Evers is
hailed as Monsieur Jeannot Evers.
ancien champion de baseball de Chi
cago, lie maitre de. geographic de Ia
deuxieme base, celebre professeur du
sport national amercain''-which is 10
say, approximately. Mr.. Johnny
Evers, old baseball champion OF Chi
cago, the man who mastered the geoG-
raphy Of second base, celebrated
professor OF the national American
sport
"Ar right. II they say So" said
Evers, but what did they want 10
tack on tina 'ancien' business for?