The New York herald., 1921-10-06
YANKS BEAT GIANTS, 80,
IN WORLD SERIES OPENER

crowd In history, one would have
thought.
Moreover. both teams. Giants and
Yankees, are popular. Each has a host
of followers that have been bcasting
and boasting for days on end. More
over there have been occasions not so
dramatic as the first game of world
series when the Brush Stadium and its
environs were overbursting with hu-
manity, filled and running over. $4,000
to 10000 people paying real money for
the entertainm .nt Of baseball
The last time the Cleveland team Of
the American League was mere playing
the Yankees the series that meant the
league crowd there were far more per-
sons on hand than showed up yester-
day. Let somebody else explain It,
or course a variety Of explanations
are offered. One is that preliminary ac-
counts Of the demand for seats had con.
vinced many persons that il was use
less to try to get inside the grounds,
Some thousands may have halsd back
on that account Then the weather
changed sharply overnight. chilly day
| coming hard upon rainstorm in the
dark hours. and some other thousands :
women one might guess-declined to
risk cold from sitting three or four
hours In such frigid weather.
Again. the police instructions about
maintaining lines In and around the
Polo Grounds were very rigid, and ma ~
persons without tickets were prevented
from coming north OF 153d street and 50
had no chance to buy tickets that wers
freely available at the box office. Al
any rate there were scarcely 5000 per-
sons on hand for the first big game.
Even so, one had right to expect a
lively crowd. crowd with zip and zest
| hod I'll 80
colorful commotion. howls and boots and
| raucous laughter and such like demon
strations. One surely had right to
| look for the stunts OF former worl series
games In this city. the massed cheerers.
the beflagged and beribboned delega-
/ tions, the battalions of megaphoners, the
rattles and horns and peace dlsturbers
that made merry din in the long gone
days Of the Giants-Athletics contests.
Lack OF Pep shown by Crowd.
But there was nothing of the sort
There were no even sqrg ho~sters *
cept rare, faint creature that lifted
Itself just before the game and piped its
thin appeal. Song boosters may not be
the salt OF the earth. but they help one
from getting lonesome at such times.
They were missed keenly yesterday.
No. there were none of the former
cheerful noises OF other world series as
seen or as read about The whole
crowd was distinctly apathetic Possibly
Ruth would have raised the empyrean
roof IL he had hit the ball out OF the
grounds for one of his specials, but he
didn't, and so there is an end to that.
Nothing seemed to make much differ
ence. although the Yankees appeared to
be favorites with the majority of the
crowd-not wildly so, Just mildly,
gently SO.
Nobody got excited about anything.
Mike McNally's steal of home woke Up
the animals about as much as any other
incident. but II was light cheering. Even
when Babe Ruth twice slashed the help
less air and scowled at Hts Honor the
Ump there vaS not that howl of do
light that some have heard rip the quiet
of things.
Half the people sitting around were
trying TO find e reason for the dismality
of the occasion. Here was a big game.
the first indsed. a charming October
day, cool but not too cool, and MS bright
as diamond With plenty OF free ozone
and spirit mel ing zest in the air lots
of people. well known players. much un-
certainty. yet 1obody's heart seemed TO
beat much faster than common.
Guessing ON Cause sf Apathy.
Several rcalons were ventured--not
reasons but speculations--that baseball
may not, afteg ALL be as popular as
some folk SUPPOSE; that the high prices
Of world series contests have left little
enthusiasm foi this particular form Of
baseball contest. and that tne intra-
city charact r Of the affair lessened
Unrln ri t.,t. f,u -
ing It. As rcsards the last specula tion
some thdught that II the series had been
between the Yankees and Pittsburgh or
between the Giants and Clcvel md there
would have beca much bigger TO do and
a more colo ful scene all around. One
does not know. The comments are
offered for what they may suggest.
Bleachcrs Filled Soon.
The bleachers were already well
filled at eleven o'clock. and In them
and the sparsey tenanted upper tier
OF the grandstand men were taking
comfort I'm overcoats, while the few
women already on hand we're nesting
In their furs. The warmth OF these
garments was grateful, because the
Thermometer stood at a temperature OF
4b degrees and there was that In the
ripping air which suggested q football
game rather than baseball. sport OF
hot sun and sweating athletes.
But the spectacle OF overcoats and
the slight chill thai nipped the fingers
was. after all. the only suggestions OF
football. Otherwise. In every sight an,
sound. the picture was baseball. Il
lacked the flags and the surging enthu-
siasm OF football and II lacked, too, the
feel cf the purely amateur event
Men who had been 20 many woric
series games expressed the opinion that
the crowd was trickiing In with un-
wonted slowress and without the high
spirits OF former years. The immense
stards used to be filled at IL o'clock
with crowds that madea vast noise. But
yesterday at noon there were not 500
people in the lower grandstand and tho
urper stand was only about half full.
The reason for this. probably. was that
the lower stand was entirely reserved