South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-14
BASEBALL PLAYED
ON FOREIGN SOIL
Johnny EverS Shows the Way
to Many of the Natives
Over There.

EN- Dourg and Germany for home.
behind them will be hundreds of
baseball diamonds cut in the coun-
tryside Of these lands. and a host of
people from all the nations intense
~ interested in a game that before
the war was foreign and strange to
them.
More baseball has been played
this spring and summer by the boys
Of the army Of occupation, and those
awaiting embarkation. than any
area of similar proportions in
America saw. Hundreds of carloads
of baseball equipment were dis
tributed among all the Yankee units
by the x. of c. athletic directors.
Johnny Evcrs Teaches.
II was the knights of Columbu
who first realized the necessity Of
played the game, and knew how TO
teach IT, That was Johnny Evers
He not only paved the way for sue
cess for the game in the A. Z. F..
but encouraged the sport among
the soldiers Of the other allied ma
tions. He staged games with enemy
aeroplanes swooping overhead, and
was first to handle the enormous
supply OF athletic equipment which
was given the boys by the knights
of Columbus.
Bill Friel. the St. Louis star. was
placed at the head Of the athletic
department managing baseball con-
tests by the X. of c., and he gath
cred about him a number of stars
from the big leagues. Bill Cough
lin, former captain OF the Detroit
Tigers, was one who assisted in the
X. of c. baseball program. He or
gained a team in southern France.
and in a months time captured the
honors in that section. Later ne
went 10 Coblenz. where he coached
the army Of occupation champion
team. Pete Noonan of the Phila-
delphia Athletics developed a strong
team at Esch, and was later one or
the umpires in the A. +. +. finals.
Tommy Dowd, another big Lacquer
in X. OF c. uniform, developed the
Fourth Division league. Jim Fogar-
ty former manager of the Jersey
American embarkation center team.
and Jack Barry. the old New York
Giant star, assisted in the K. OF G.
baseball activities John Carroll,
Tommy O'Mara and ]. b. KERN, one
time umpire in the National league,
held the indicator in the soldier
games. OMara set a new baseball
record when he flew in an army
plane from COlumbes des Bellies TO
Trier, Germany, TO umpire a game.
Baseball FNOstcrcd.
( In these last months OF the Amer
lean occupation Of Germany and
encampment in France. baseball has
been the favorite sport fostered by
the X. Of c., but its record in the
furtherance of boxing as a sport and
not a profession even surpassed the
summer pastime The X of c.
I made boxing 10 the tired doughboy
what the light musical comedy has
always been TO the tired business
man. In every area where Ameri-
Ican troops were billeted in barns
poorly lighted halls, in open helds
and in the spacious recreation halls
the X. of G. staged interesting
bouts
The program of the K. of c. box
amusement as we'll as exercise for
the enlisted men. He pitted French
! boxers against the best in the A. Z
| +. and 10 the surprise of the Ameri-
1 can boys. the French made an i'm
preston which was hardly the pop
ular idea of their fistic prowess
Sam Fitzpatrick, a K. of c. boxing
man. who 20 years before brought
/ Peter Jackson 10 France, and later
visited Paris with Kid Lavigne, dis
! covered that the French boxers
! could fight with their fists this time
Before they used their feet continu-
! ally.
Boxing Also.
Boxers and fight promoters Of ma
/ tional reputation conducted the
bouts for the X. of c. The record
/ Of the Caseys was such that the
| army athletic officials gave the or.
ganization the exclusive privilege Of
/ staging contests. and approximately
a million soldiers saw the bouts ir
/ Paris. CoblenZ, LeMans and other
| centers. Alex Mclean, K. Of c. di
rector with the third army alone
staged 400 bouts. Billy Roche
| Danny Dunn, Biz Mackay. Eddi,
Conway, Frank Flynn, Judge DIZZY
Tommy Mcfarland and Eddi,
O'Rourke were big factors in th'
| success of the program.
The greatest race ever staged n
France was the marathon the X o.
c. arranged from Chateau Their,
| over shell-torn roads 20 the Place
de la Concorde. Paris. which wa
won by Matthew Lynch of Newark
y. j. 1t was on the anniversary o
the day the American machine gun
| ners were making their attack Of
Chateau -Thierry bridge. The run
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