Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-08-18
LiDe Sports NezDs and Comment
Jap Baseball Team
10. Tour America

Chicago, Aug. 1S.--Japan is plan
ming one of the most ambitious base
ball invasions of the United States.
next spring and summer that has
ever been recorded in the annals of
international athletics. At the, same
time u group OF wealthy Japanese
business men are hoping to per-
suade two topnotCh, American League
tcamsoto visit Japan for an extended
series of exhibition games.
This news of baseball in Japan is
brought back from the Orient by
Prof. Fred Mortified. who piloted the
University of Chicago nine on its re-
cent tour OF Japanese universities.
'Wasoda University is getting ready
for trip clear across the United
states" said Professor Merrifield.
Heretofore Waseda and Keio have
played only on the west coast and in
the middle west but this time the
Waseda men hope to arrange games
with many Of the leading teams in
out eastern states.
Prof. lso Abe, the father of base
ball in Japan and dean of the col
leges at Waseda. assisted by Pro-
fessor Bennington of the same in
stitution, will be in charge of the
trip
The Japanese squad expects to
spend nearly FIVE months getting
ready to tackle the American col
loge teams and with one OF the most
clever and Woodworking sets of play
ers in their history, they promise to
win their full share of games. They
plan TO start from Toxic in mildly win
ter, spend two weeks or more in the
wonderful spring climate of Honolu-
lu playing against the versatile Jap
aneSe. American and Chinese teams
of the island. then tour the west
coast from Seattle TO Los Angeles in
the height of the western baseball
season, while the midwest and east
ern campuses are still covered with
snow and mud. t9i
I'm this way they Will easily become
acclimated and get used to the food
and travel that play such a big part
In the success of team. When the
Japanese boys go east. look out for
them. for they will be in the pink Of
condition.
This careful program Is an indi-
cation of the rapidly rising interest in
baseball which is felt all over the Is
land kingdom. Waseda was the lead
er in this movement some 20 years
ago. Now every school in the land
boasts of its numerous champions
who hope to show their talents to
the world. Native coaches are turn
ing out pitchers batters and fielders
capable OF holding places on any
American college team.
Signs of an attempt to CONNER
cialize baseball, however, are in
sight, a group of influential men,
trained in America and longing for
the good old fan days when they
could enjoy fine game every day,
plan to place the game upon a higher
professional level They have pur-
chased a large field near the center
af Toxic and plan to erect stadium
there seating $4,000 people.
If representative of these capt.
talists, now in America, is success
full the stadium will be opened by
two of our league teams at the close
Of the present season here. At the
prices recently charged at the Chi
U.s. " w 'tNNtti SS>tiIltiS, .oD W OF cents
per seat. such Il trip by American
professional mines would prove real
money maker for it's Japanese pro-
motors.
AS vet the semi-pro does not ex-
list in Japan. But If the further plan
carries TO have teams organized in
all the leading city centers and tenn
porarily trained by American coll
lege graduate coaches the Oriental
kingdom and its far flung dependen-
cies will fairly so wild over baseball
IF these plans, both ambitious and
difficult of realization, do not ma
ture at once, a milder program with
an amateur college league as the
center of interest will be substituted.
Every lover of pure amateur sport
in Japan hopes this latter idea will
prevail, thus preventing a long and
train of evils which would
follow commercialization of the
game. 1t would be pity, in any case,
to lower the present splendid stand
ards of craftsmanship for which
Professor Abe and his colleagues
have worked SO long and hard"