Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-16

A RISTOCRACY in the guise of the
"A Spanish tennis team went out to
Shibe Park yesterday to see the prole-
tariat mt play-or, rather. to see the
people watch their baseball idols per-
form. Count de Comar was there: so
were the handsome Alonzo brothers,
Manuel and Captain Jose.
They didn't know what the game
was all about, except in very sketchy
way. but the color and excitement
caught their fancy. They had not seen
anything to quite equal it in quickness.
The catch Of n long fly OF, fiashy
double play; the curving fight of the
ball agninst the blue sky: the throngs
spontaneous enthusiasm at bit Of
daring or skill. were things new to
them. They failed to. grasp the in,
tricate details of play that The habitual
fans accept casually enough. but that
was only natural.
When the brilliant Manuel Alonzo,
greatest of all Spanish tennis players
and the man who has been dubbed the
..Jim Thorpe of Spain,' seated him.
self in Shibe Park he gave utterance TO
an ejaculation of astonishment at the
size of the stands.
"How many people does this place
hold?' he asked in his perfect English,
with only the faintest trailing softness
of tone TO proclaim his foreign birth.
WHEN he ,ras told he shook his
W head IN nmn:ement, 'Why.. the
LARGEST 0mphitheatre for our buu,
rings can only accommodate io'ooo.
The play continued. When Iris
I nnhn
and caught a hard drive In his noncha =
liant manner when
Arc Thrilled by Tilly. wa ker
Fests of Players rammed that blaz-
ing h me run
AGAINST the scoreboard in deep center
when Chick Galloway raced over behind
second, knocked down drive anu
threw the runner out at first the three
Spaniards leaned forward with intense
interest. s.u,a >,
grasp the significance of the plays. Ihe
skill and strength required for thost
feats thrilled them. They-heroes OF
scores of crucial athletic contests
understood and sympathized with tint
men out there on the field.
nThis baseball is most complicated
game" said Manuel Alonzo. VINO spen.
q GOOD part of his time explaining things
a. sS'ount de Gomar, who does not speaF
English. land for 4uickness ! nav
navsr m"s seen it's equal. That is the feature
,bat impresses me most, the almost uh'
belieyable quickness Of the players.
..J haye seen many games IN nan.
lands and have played at lots OF then
myself, and ! do not feel ina. as ns
hasty in saying that TINS is nnu' u
WoIuei;h - In interest, and ! can easil.
ppnderstand why It Is so popular WIFI
your people. o r,.r . oam
.Aot ~ ;r IT its fundamentals has n fain
.uasarhlance .na to baseball. We play " o.
nint of ground as big as your hel
bera and It's principal element ID ais
atr;L;ru'a hall with a stick. 1t Is calle'
bnlota' and is quite popular WIN iha''
in my country .o so,timent
e,nressed by his brother. During "a d
Of the game he leaned torwaru, MS Thas Th
6nely cut face alive with in,etes'; i,La IN
Spaniards, did not pretend 10 nts ine ~
game out Of courtesy 10 tneif h''>''
TT REALLY intrigued them. an
this uus just a bit surprising. 10
e,cn the fastest ball game Is s'o~
one trho docs not undcrstdnd IT,
Count de Gomal
, due to his lack g
; Nor. Difyicult English. h ad
for De Gomar more difficult tim
'' following thing
but he, too, found baseball somethin
! new and exciting to write DOWN III III
T book Of memory.