Evening star., 1924-10-02

breeches and "blouses," we used tc
go up 14th street in the evening to
''see the Bulletin" to get the results
| of the ball games.
1t was before the day of electric
score boards or radio. Not a child in
| the neighborhood would have gone
| to sleep without knowing how the
game came out"
No youngster in this very good base
| ball town-base ball enthusiasm is
| no new thing here-would have rested
easily in his bed O nights without
| having slowed away in his memory
| the results of the games, especially
| of the contest in which the Sen
ators." as they were known then, had
| taken part. By the way, the Wash
ington club still is called Senators
| in almost every out-of-town news
paper.
Those were the days of burly Ed
Delehanty, who slammed out home
| runs for Detroit. "Dee-troit," as it
was pronounced by nearly all the
| fans then. as 1t is now.
Delehanty was the reigning behe-
moth of the diamond, and the boys
and their elders never missed a chance
| to see the Babe" Ruth of that day
do his stuff Many of us harbor the
| memory of seeing Delehanty knock
four home runs in one game-or did
we just read about it?
We were so enthusiastic about base
ball, in those days that we were not
content with going to the games at the
park, watching for the scores late every
evening when the team was out of town.
playing base ball ourselves and talking
it intermnabiy.
We had to play an indoor base ball
game, introduced, If my memory serves
me right by Edmund Rheem. 1t was a
WOW of a game. too, played with dice
the various combinations of dots, of
course, indicating hits, bases on balls
double plays, etc.
Slx-SlX, for instance. stood for home
| run, five-five for a three-ba2ger and SO
on. Every contingency of real ball
game was provided for in way that
worked out in an amazingly realistic
manner
At first small paper diamonds, with
counters as men, were used, but after
some experience with this Indoor base
halP' game such proficiency was reached
that the whole game was played in the
mind
Those who remember that game will
recall how exciting the contests were,
having all the uncertainty of real
game, with the score one day standing
to Q, and the next day running into
an lS-inning contest.
The big point was that in no case was
the contest ridiculous. There We're no
19-to-6S scores. or anything like that.
whoever invented the system of scoring
did ii good job Of it. The boys kept regu-
lar leagues in operation. scoring them
officially. as in the rbig league"
1t was an interesting, clean game, and
one OF the best uses dice ever We're put
TO. Its reintroduction would be a good
! thing.
! The sweet calm sunshine of October now
warns the low spot: upon it's grassy mold
The purple oak leaf falls; the birchen bougf
Drops It's bright spoil like arrowheads OF
gold.
William Cullen Bryant, sport lover,
poet. did not have a base ball diamond
| in mind when he wrote of the low
| spot but all Washington is looking for
ward today to such ideal base ball
weather when the world series gets un-
der way at a certain low spot at Seventh
street and Florida avenuei
You should have seen Jim" Preston.
superintendent of the Senate press gai-
lery, good old Mr.. Fixit for correspond
cnts at the Capitol. going around the
day after with smile that simply
refused TO disappear from beneath that
black mustache Of his
Washington had won the pennant
| Washington is going to win the world
series, Here whole city waits united
! in common bond Of hope We want
! something to happen, and we picture
the triumph in advance. There is an
electric something in the air that was
not here before.
Hooray.