The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-20

IN Boston Yesterday, as the clubs were
tha other teams In order to take advantage
OF 'Patriots Day, one Of tho leading holt
Gays In the State OF Massacnuse'ts.
BY FREDERICK q. LIEB,
After weathering two seasons in which
war occupied all the thoughts of the
American people professional baseball,
as exemplifed by the National and
American Leagues, will make its bid to
regain It's pre-war status and popularity
next Wednesday. ON that afternoon the
major league clubs will swing back into
action.
The tura OF the schedule wheel gives
New York. Washington. st. Louis and
Detroit the lone openings in the Amer
lean League. while Philadelphia, Bnston,
Cincinnati and Chicago viii see the
first National League games of the
year
In the American League opening in
this city the Yankees will take on the
worlds champion Red Sox who de-
feated the Giants four out OF six games
IN the Dixie belt. The other openings
IN the Johnsonian circuit are the Ath-
Ittics In Washington, the Chicago White
sox in St Louis AMI the Cleveland In
dlans.
Giants start in PhiIIy.
In the National League the Giants
start the ball rolling in Philadelphia with
JACK Coonbss Philles; the National
League Champion Chicago Cubs will
have Pittsburg for its opening attrac-
ZION an! the ST. Louis Cardinals will
assist ar Garry Herrmann's opening in
Cincirnat'. The Dodgers and Boston
Braves already have hurled of the lid
In Beantown so as to take advantage O..
Patriots Day. n leading Boston holiday
Baseoalrs recovery from the effects
or inc war has been quick and far be-
yond the expectations OF some of its
p-ornoters, who believed last winter that
1t might take several years before the
game regainen firm footing with the
public. The sport weathere1 tn. war
pretty well until last summer and there
we're many patriotic citizens VINO hon
estly believed II OCCASIONAL baseball had
lis iioper place in the sphere OF war
activities os n means OF keeping up the
Morale and taking the thoughts of the
people away from the misery Of war.
But when the flower OF the American
youth was hurled against the PrussIan
hosts on the fields of France and Elan
ders last summer all such chatter went
sglimmering. With their own boys in
tie death Grapples of the Argonne forest
or smashing through the Hindenburc
line, what was left OF the American
fans lost their taste for seeing paid
athletes al play. The American public
had passed the stage where It wanted its
thoughts diverted from war It no
longer was foreign scrap 5000 niles
away. which could be aided by buyirR
Liberty Bonds or scrimpng on -four
or sugar Our own boys were in the
thck OF II AMI there was a cry for
Everybody to get behind the plough and
DO his bit in some capacity or other
until glorious victory had been
achieved.
Few Siackers Got By.
The work or fight order. demanding
that every able bodied young man
should shoulder a gun or use his h-awn
IN constructing ships or shells. closed
the ball parks last Labor Day
IL was popular order Casualty
sts' first few columns, then half
page and eventually two full pages,
began 10 take up the space In news
rapers once allotted to sports. and base
the public press
few ballpsyers called IN the draft
took refuge in shipyards. throwing an
odium on the entire class OF professional
baseball men. In some cases It was
shown that balip;syers had received
soft jobs at s..ipyards or munition works
to play ball on teams representing the
a deeper hold on the nation such men
were singled out and forced to do real
work or get into the army.
With the signing OF tho armIstice
Uncle Sam began TO devote his time and
energies to two thlngs-to getting his
boys back from France and Flanders
and the country back to pre-war condi-
t!ons s soon as possible.
Tho ink on the armistice was hardly
dry before fans began to ask whether
there would be baseball next year The
two Leagues printed statistics showing
that the tales Of slackersm made
against baseball were both unjust and
untrue and that both leagues had close
10 80 per cent OF their men in service
There were caustic remarks about
baseball sailors and baseball SOL
d!ers," but these remarks were unfair to
the men. A man in the army or navy is
under orders and has nothing to do with
his station. There was. of course, intense
rivalry between different camps and
training stations. and it was natural
that officers coaching these teams were
DESTROYS OF presenting as strong lne-ups
rs they could fad, and found room on
their teams for any big leuguers that
came their way, However, quito num-
her Of bailplayers reached the other
side and saw active service.
steele UnJustIy Accused.
The war hystcria which was 80 severe
on shipyard ballplayers also showed
that an injustice had been done many
players. Later developments proved
ihat Tesretu, IIolke and other ballplay-
ers, who left their teams for the shin
yards, merely saw the work or fight
order coming and got into essential en-
ployment before they were forced 10
II. With few exceptions these shipyard
players were young married men with
small children. lIolke for instance. had
three small youngsters, while Tesreau
and Bob Steele Of the Giants, other men
who went into shlpyards. also had small
ch'ldren. Steele. a British subject, sun
ports wife. a 15-months-old baby and n
widowed mother. He had three brothers
IN the Canadian service, one OF whom
anade the big sacrifice. Yet ore writer
referring to him last year, wrote
steele looked very good out there to.
day, yet he would have looked much bet.
te- clad IN khaxi"
~ u ms.tisasi - a. example Of