The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-20
JAPS W TRY
U. BASEBALL
Ambitious Invasion is Planned Forl
Next Spring and Summer
Leaguers Wanted in Japan.

Chicago, Aug. 18.-Japan is planning
one of the most ambitious baseball
invasions of the United States, next
spring and summer. that has ever been
recorded in the annals of international
athletics. At the same time a group
of wealthy Japanese business men are
hoping to persuade two topnotch
American league teams to visit Japan
for an extended series of exhibition
games.
This news of baseball in Japan is
brought back from the Orient by Pro-
fessor Fred Mortified, who piloted the
University OF Chicago nine on its re-
cent tour of Japanese universities.
"Waseda University is getting ready
for trip clear across the United
States" said Professor Merrifield.'
Heretofore Waseda and Keio have
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 our eastern states.
Professor Iso Abe, the father of
baseball in Japan and dean of the
colleges at Waseda, assisted by Pro-
fessor Bennington of the same insti-
"The japanese squad expects to
spend nearly five months getting ready
to tackle the American college team
and with one of the most clever and
hard working sets of players in their
history, they promise to win their
full share of the games. They plan to
start from Toxic in m.dwinter, spend
two weeks or more in the wonderful
oIir 70 of Hnnnlilfn
against the versatile japanese, Amer
lean 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 eastern campuses are, still
covered with snow and mud.
I'm this way they will easily become
acclimated and get used to the food
and travel that play such 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 indica-
ton of the rapidly rising interest in
baseball which is felt all over the
island 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 turning out
pitchers, batters and fielders capable
of holding places on any American
college team.
"Signs of an attempt to commercial
ize baseball, however, are in sight.
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 purchased large field near
the center of Toxic and plan to erect
a stadium there seating $4,000 people.
TT a representative of these cap
italists, now in America, is successful
the stadium will be opened by two OF
our league teams at the close of the
present season here. At the prices re-
Gently charged at the Chicago Waseda
games, $3.50 to so cents per seat. such
a trip by American professional mines
would prove a real money maker for
its Japanese promoters.
AS yet the semi pro does not ex-
ist in Japan But If the further plan
carries to have teams organized in all
the leading city centers and temper
ariIy trained by American college
graduate coaches, the Oriental king
dom and its far-flfung dependencies
VII fairly go wild over baseball.
IF these plans. both ambitious and
difficult of realization. do not mature
at once, milder program with an
amateur college league as the center
of interest VIII be substituted Every