San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-20
Lawrence Perry Comes to
Conclusion It's Matter Of
Competition With Profess
sional Ball in Which a Fan
May See the Came.P Played
Better for the Same or
Less Money.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.


various parts Of the country, the cues
ton as TO the status of baseball among
college sports again comes up for con-
sideration.
Here is a national sport, game
which annually enlists the interest of
hundreds of thousands of fans. and
yet has no significant place as an
Garner upon the calendar of varsity
sports. The history of intercollegiate
athletics has seen important institu-
tons dropping the game and while it
is true that most Of these have again
resumed participation in baseball. it
is still true that there are places
where the game is not played.
In many institutions the game is
included among those sports which are
run az loss for the good of the stu
dents, being supported, as are the rest,
through receipts from football, or by
subscriptions.
Only Few Make 1t Pay.
At such institutions as Princeton.
Yale, Harvard. Pennsylvania and other
institutions with large alumni bodies,
baseball receipts cut figure in the
annual net income from athletics, but
this is chiefly due TO commencement
day game crowds.
Now there is no better game to play
and no prettier game to watch than
baseball. DIR. Reycroft. professor of
hygiene at Princeton. says that as an
even developer of the body there are
few sports like it and in the way of
inducing quick thinking, initiative and
rcsourcefulness, il has no superior.
And yet. in the main, support is poor
and enthusiasm not keen.
Some educators believe that one
fault with college baseball is the ele-
ment Of professionalism. summer base
bail and other factors that tend to
place it under suspicion. They be-
lieve. too. that so much of the atmos-
pherc and manners-on the part OF
players and fans-of the organized
baseball parks have crept into the col
| lege game as TO detract from its pop
ularity. That i.avor which should
mark a college athletic contest is lack
| ing, they maintain, and in its place
we find all the yammering and lack
of demeanor and poise which have
come. whether rightfully or wrongful
ly. to be associated with professional
baseball
Too Much Competition.
On the other hand. close students
of college athletics believe that college
baseball suffers because, through the
payment of perhaps less money at the
gate Of all organized ball park. one
can see the game better playeu. IN
other words. the college game suffers
through professional competition just
rs college football would suffer were
there strongly organized leagues of
professional football teams whose play
ers were more proficient than the col
lege stars. This. in fact. is one Of
the arguments employed against the
development of pro football--that were
the professional game to be popular
and players developed as eminent in
their field as the leading professional
ball players are in theirs, college foot
ball would by rapid degrees pale into
unimportance.
Be that as it may. the fact remains
that in the hands of the collegians a
great national sport falls far short Of
realizing its possibilities.
The season Of 1924 promises TO be
a good one in college circles, as good
seasons go. Yale. which won the Big
Three championship last season, has
the nucleus of a hard fighting. ag-
gressive team. and. with Pond in the
box in the crucial games, ought to
" in out again.
Emo Has Strange Fault.
Emo looks like n good running mate
for Pond. though he does seem to have
certain uneasiness in pitching to
left.handed batters. 1t is not that he |
is afraid they are going TO hit him,
but that he is afraid he is going TO |
hit them. and. consequently, has diff |
ficulty in getting the ball over the |
plate. Very likely Joe Wood. with |
his ability as coach of pitchers, will |
be nble TO iron out this kink.
Charlie O'Hearn. who has been tried |
the makings of n good hot-corner man
if he gets enough experience. He shows |
speed on the bases. which will give
opposing catchers plenty to worry
about Mallory is an earnest. hard
baekstop and is hitting the
ball we'll.
The rest Of the players stack up
we'll for college men. and. on the whole,
lale's prospects of winning. the cham
look brighter than they did
last spring, when Princeton was the !
'avorite but failed against Ponds
Penn and Dartmouth Good.
Pennsylvania, as the writer predict
ii some weeks ago. is showing excel
ent work and hard. consistent hitting
N her early games. Dartmouth aiso
showed up on her southern trip with
tome real sluggers. and team that 4
las sluggers is always dangerous.
Although Princeton has not had
-eal tryout, Pitcher Caldwell twirled
veil against Lafayette. and the story
Toes around that Princeton Is not go
ng to miss Carney 50 much, great
pitcher though he was.
The Columbia nine is good and so
$ Van Brocklin. it's plteher-in-chief.
hOugh both team and pitcher slipped
II their game with Yale and literally
brew the decision away.
Harvard will be an unknown guam
ity until tested out OIL the coming
southern trim. Fordham. in spite OF
defeat by Yale. will play good ball.
Runs Down Wildcat in Car.