The sun., 1919-07-20
TEN CENT BASEBALL
NEEDED IN FRANCE
Must Start With Children to
Popularize Game Abroad,
Says Bill Lange.

PARIS, July II Cby maiD VIII base
ball ever become popular among the
people in France?
I have heard that question a thousand
times since I landed over here last win
ter to help along the Y. NJ c, AS ath-
letic programme In the A. r. +. Even
friends on the Pacific coast and some of
my old team mates of the early Chicago
Cubs days have written letters asking
how the good old game-and I think
it's the best national sport in the world
lis catching on here
Far be 1t from me to make a predic-
ton. but ! do think the diamond sport
has made some Roadway among the
poilus and their countrymen. The
French, OF course. do not play ball 90
that any one could notice it. They like
to watch the doughboy teams. though.
and in nearly every village in France
where any number OF American troops
are stationed, there are balls and bats
and the Yankees to use them.
The French spectators somehow re-
mind me Of the crowds around the old
sand lots back IN America-only they
don't root. In the first place they don't
know when TO root. and in the second
they don't know how. Imagine a fellow
turning to you while a crowd OF dough-
boys are whistlng through their teeth
and yelling to ask why they whistle :,
One Frenchman I met thought tho
whistling was unsportsmanlikc. and
when ! asked him why, he said he
thought 1t was the same as boong.
Even Rusic Could Get Hit.
Still. the French like sports. and after
they learn the fine points Of base ball
there is no reason why 1t may not be-
come popular here. The douGhboys are
doing a lot of missionary work in this
respect A recent report giving the
amount OF baseball equipment distributed
by the Y. NJ c. y. through the army
here in France shows how widely the
game is being played There were 5000
haseballs. 81 900 gloves and $500 bats.
With that many bats even my old pal
Amos Rusie could have got hit.
Baseball among the doughboys. by the
way, is likely to develop some good big
league material. I've seen some promis-
ing Kids over here, and believe the
army training has been n good thing
to help At them for professional teams
After the boys go bome-and they
are moving that way pretty fast now
there will be mighty little baseball III
France and something must be done 10
keep up interest II the game is not to
lose tho ground II has gained. rye
thought that over great deal, and l
believe there's only one answer-the ten
cent baseball.
You can't make the older fellows take
ur our game to any extent. How many
Americans who are past voting age ever
learn to play BALI Very few. They
are too busy or too stiff or too d!gni-
fed or too fat. We learn to play when
wa are kids Practically every healthy
American learns how TO catch and throw
as soon as he's old enough to play
hockey from school.
"stnrts with the Kids"
Now. II Americans are going TO intro
duce baseball in France as a general
sport they will have to start with the
kids
These French youngsters play in the
PARKS here in Paris with bounding rub
Der balls which are light and hollow,
The boys throw like girls when they do
throw but whenever there's a chance
they kick it. The bounding rubber or
the tennis ball is their favorite play
thing in that line. II few million
cheap baseballs like those used by tire
youngsters at home were given TO school
children here they would probably learn
to throw and play catch, and from that
they would naturally take up batting.
So, IL some Of our rich American fans
want to see league games played by
Frenchmen in France or an International
series at the Polo Grounds they can
keep up the good work done by the "T'
and the doughboy teams on the diamond
by providing cheap baseballs for French
kids. believe the older Frenchmen
never will take up the game, except as
spectators but the sport may grow up
with the youngsters.