The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1922-09-14
American Legion News

side the American newspaper field
and those magazines devoted to the
sports. Major league teams visited
foreign countries and showed the
game off. Like some vaccinations It
didn't take The European and Orien-
tai countries we're slow to take up
baseball before the war. Now, how
ever. hardly a country but has its
baseball teams. The men who went
overseas in 1917 and 1918 mixed with
the young men of dozen countries.
These allied soldiers saw for the first
time real amateur baseball and 1t did
take. When the war ended three or
four million young men took off
their army uniforms and started look
ing for jobs. Some of them have
gone far to Turkey, Japan, China,
South America and other countries.
They got the jobs and for the first
time had something in common, these
world travellers. They we're war vet
Grams and, therefore, eligible for
membership in an organization open
OF world war men alone the Ameri-
can Legion. In virtually every for
eign country is a post of the legion
and in each legion club room are
baseballs and bats. For the first time
there came into being an American
organization of young men and
American young men play their own
country's national game. The results
of these foreign units of the Ameri-
can service mems organization have
meant a formation of teams and
leagues that reaches around the
globe. London, which before the
war looked on sourly at American
teams paying baseball, presents a
changed front today. A full eight |
team league has blossomed where
not sprout existed before. Such |
typically named playing fields as the
Crystal Palace Grounds and the
Stamford Bridge Field are utilized by
the Americans for their contests. The
league was started by the London
post of the legion which has spread
baseball to the four winds of the is
alnd and wind carries a long way.
In speaking of the London league, the
Paris, France, edition of the New
York Herald says THE American
Legion is making every effort to pop
ularize baseball in London and is ex-
pending a great deal of time and
money in enlisting both American
and English interest. AT a recent
game at Stamford Bridge between
the American University club and
the United States shipping board the
legion sent out more than 500 invi-
tations to American families living in
England to attend the game Yoko- ,
hama and Tokyo in Japan felt all the !
thrills of a real world series when I
The mines of the two cities engaged :
n a recent series of their own. The ,
Japan Advertiser of Tokyo said just
prior to one game. Interest in Yoko-
lama and Tokyo is at fever heat in /
of the baseball game i
o take place this afternoon between L
he American Legion team and the t
Yokohama Country and the Athletic G
,lub." Not bad for a country which r
ook to baseball by adoption. Since
he armistice thousands of Ameri-
ans have learned to call France 6
econd home. The Paris post of the a
egion is the center around which o
nost of the social and athletic activ- t
ties of the Americans in the French p
apital whirl Exhibition games with Z
cams made up of French veterans 5
re played often. The French have v
AIKEN to the pastime enthusiastically. u
% further spread the knowledge of L
aseball, the Paris legion team chal- n
enged a London, England, post of s.
iO AO6Achs NhO Va
{ English ex-soldiers which cores
onds to the American Legion and of !
'hich Sir Douglas Haig is the presi-
ent. The English ex-service men
'ired back a reply which takes the
ind out of the sails of those who
mink the English don't know a joke.
hey accepted the Americans ath-
,tic defy, but on the condition that
be a mixed match, first baseball
anne and then cricket match! The
aris legionnaires hunted around for
ome cricket players, but couldn't
nd any. They accepted the terms,
owever engaging an Englishman to
ZACH them cricket The information
mixed athletic meet will be held