Evening star., 1925-10-18
MEN AND AFFAIRS
BY ROBERT T. SMALL.

To what extent have the Presidents
OF the United States during the past
| 80 years or so been real base ball
| fans? The question has been disturb.
! ing the army of base ball writer's who
| recently pursued the world series
( through all its queer vagaries and up
! to the surprising climax.
| The writer's could recall but two
| Presidents of the last seven who really
| were dyed-in-the-wool fans and who
were expert enough to know all the
| intricacies Of the play in a profes-
| sional game. One was Mr. Taft at
| present the Chief Justice of the Unit
! ed States. the other the lamented
Warren G. Harding. Those two Presi-
| dents got real joy out Of the game
whenever they went.
President Mckinley was so quiet
and retiring, so much of a homebody,
| no one ever thought of him in connec-
| tlon with any sport. Grover Cleveland
was fisherman first, last and all the
| time. Whenever he could get away
| from the White House he was bound
for the fishing grounds.
President Roosevelt was man of
| many sports, but base ball was not
one Of them. He made no pretense of
being "A fan, and seldom If ever went
inside oall park. The base ball
| public made no particular appeal to
7. r. He wanted to be associated
! with the sport lovers who were sports
men themselves-riders, hunters. hik-
| ers and tennis players. Many persons
have wondered what sort Of golf play
er T. r. would have made. Probably
very poor one.
President Taft often went to the
| bah game. both in Washington and
| ''on the road" One of the most char
acteristic and best pictures ever taken
| of Mr.. Taft was a snapshot at Forbes
Field, Pittsburgh, where the world
| series was decided on Black Thursday
last. Mr.. Taft was seated between his
brother, Charles =. Taft, who at the
time had financial interest in the
Chicago Cubs, and the late Senator
| Philander Chase Knox, who was Sec
| retary of State in the Taft cabinet.
Some player had just slammed out a
| home run. and three principals in the
! photograph were caught applauding
| and grinning from ear to ear.
President Wilson was a base ball
| patron caSionaily. but far from be
! ing enthusia site. But he even took his
| golf rather solemnly The happiest
! Mr. Wilson ever appeared at q game
! was during the 1915 world series.
when ne dropped IN 10 the Natlona
! League Park in Philadelphia to see
| one Of the games between the Phillies
and he Boston Red SoX. At that time
| the President was acConpa MED by
! Mrs. Gait. who was soon To become
| the first lady of the land.
| President Harding knew base ball
| backward and forward. lie was Il ia n
| in his newspaper days, and official
scorer. was hep" to all the lingo
! Of the diamond and was thoroughly
at home in a grandstand seat.
/ II is rather difficult TO appraise Mr..
! Coolidge's enthusin sm for the game.
/ lie has gone out to the Griffith Sta
! dium quite often, but from all out
! ward appearances Mrs. Coolidge gets
the real kick out of the game for the
I Coolidge family. Mrs. Coolidge. how
! ever, is an enthusiast in everything.
In a recent conversation with a
: sports enthusiast Mr.. Coolidge was
asked if he had no desire 10 partici-
! pate in some one of the many pas
! times open nowadays to men of mid
die age. He is reported 10 have re-
! Piled that he loved one sport and par