Omaha daily bee., 1919-04-13
EUROPE TAKES UP
BASE BALL GAME
WITH GREAT ZEAL
LANCE Promotes International,
League in Europe and
Plans Tour for u. S.
Champions.
By Universal Service.

London, April l2.-Bill I.ange,
called by the venerable authority,
Pop" Arson, the greatest all
around ball player the world has
ever seen: better than Cobb was at
his best-much better fielder, better
thrower and mite faster" here re-
Gently told Universal Service his
plans for promoting an international
base ball league in Europe, booking
European tour for the champions
of the American league next fall and
picking up material for the New
York Giants and other professional
base ball clubs i'll the states.
Teams For Big Four"
Lange's plan for an international
league in Europe calls for represen-
tative teams in England, France,
Belgium and possibly Italy. Two
teams in each country would be pre-
ferred. The pennant winners of the
European league would meet the
winners in the states for the worlds
championship. the championship Sc
ries being played alternately in Eu-
rope and America.
When any one mentions inter-
national league, meaning Europe"
said LANCE, "he is very apt to be
greeted with laugh, especially in
recent years, when things haven't
been going any too we'll for base ball
back home. But | believe, and it
seems that some of the biggest base
ball men in the states see it my way,
too, that now is the time to get
started. Base ball is in for the big
gest boom in the history of the
game, because both sides of the At
lantic, instead of only one, are on
the job now, and thousands OF per-
sons in England and France who
never knew steal from pop fly
are getting to be fans.
Pick Organizers.
My scheme, after | get the situa-
ton sized up, is to pick some good
base ball organizers, either profess
SIGNALS or college men, and place
them in England, Belgium and Italy
to work up the international league
organization. | am satisfied that
by the time base ball weather ar
rives we will have leagues in Eng
land, France. Belgium and Italy. and
in this | will have the help of the
American Y. NJ. c. A. staff Of ath-
letic directors.
These four countries will have
their respective national series, their
European series, and then they will
enter a real world series with the
American winners. We could have
the games played alternately in Eu-
rope and America"
"Bat and BALI Distribution.
LANCE is distributing $4,000 worth
Of base ball material among the
American troops in Europe. This
money was raised by Clark Griffith
in his ''bat and ball fund campaign"
Ban Johnson has commissioned
LANCE as his European representa-
tive to look over the field with a
view to taking over the pennant
winners next fall for an European
tour to entertain allied soldiers and
the civilian populations. Johnson
also has given his promise to try
to arrange for the National league
winners to join the expedition.
John ]. McGraw has made LANCE
his chief European scout to grab off
likely material for the Giants from
army and navy amateurs in the
American, Canadian, Australian and
English base ball teams.
Lange will have charge, as gen.
eral base bali director for the Amer
lean Y. M. c. A., of all the scores
of army and navy leagues operat-
ing on this side all summer, the
biggest base ball league ever
formed.