San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-25
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~7
Baseball On a Boom.
Will Have Big Season.
Partly Due to New
Blood.
Pendulum Swinging
Back.
Public Again Inter-
ested.
D -
BY Damon Runyon


by Damon Runyon ---i
Copyright, 1926, International Feature
Service, Inc.)
l have a feeling that what used to
be the dear old national pastime, until
golf came along and seized these
United States in its grasp, is due for
a sort of big revival this season.
refer. of course. to baseball.
1 believe there will be renewed in
terest in the game, due to many rea-
sous, not the least important of which
is the new blood that comes into the
diversion, new players, new worlds
champions, and new contention in the
pennant races.
believe thic.. because as / journey
up and down the land, lonely way.
farer. seeking social chit-chat in the
smoking rooms of the Pullmans, and
in hotel lobbiss.N more conversatio
about baseball than / have noted in
some semesters.
/ find gents who are DESTROYS OF
discussing with all the old time heat
OF these discussions, the relative merit
of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the st.
Louis Cardinals. not to mention the
Philadelphia Athletics, and the De
troit Tigers, and all the other clubs
of the two large leagues.
That is what Mr.. Bob Cannefax
would term ''the tell" When folks
discuss a subject, they usually are in.
terested in that subject. The popu.
lace has ceased to think OF baseball
only in connection with the skulfdig
gers Of some years back, and remarl
YEARLY, when the game came up:
Jaw, it amt ON the levelw
Don't overlook the fact, Friend
Reader. that for years the iniquities
of the Black Sox, and the individuals
of other clubs whose sins found them
out. had a mighty bad effect on base.
ball. 1t cost the game millions Of dol
lars.
Now a new generation Of fans has
but vaguely, and the older fans have
dismissed the matter into the limbo
of time, as the boys say, and have
turned back to the game.
For all the protestations Of the
jolly magnates TO the contrary, there
has been decided slump in base
ball interest for several years. They
may have continued TO make money
in the big leagues. but tho old heart.
interest of the fans, the old violent
enthusiasm of other years, was fading
out. / know this is true in New
York.
Where once in every gathering in
the big town, around the clubs, and in
the cafes, baseball was the sole topic
of discussion, you rarely heard it men
toned, then only casually. This
spring, with the Yankees and the
Giants in trimming in the South, both
with many new players, the pastime
has again been n live subject.
That is true elsewhere throughout
the country. The victory of The
Pittsburgh Pirates in the worlds sc
ries, has added to the new interest.
The folks were a little bored by the
series remaining in the East for
years. 1t was too much of a COM
munity affair. ! think there is nc
doubt that the Pittsburgh Pirates
carry more national interest than the
Giants, or any other Eastern club.
Golf and other outdoor sports nm
doubtcdly took many customers from
baseball. Golf is something that o
fellow can actually play himself, en-
joying the sensation of personal par.
ticipation in competition. instead Of
vicariously, as is the case with base
ball.
The pendulum Of interest swung
away from the national game. Now
it is swinging back again. The old
game tectcrs on the threshold OF n
red hot campaign. with the boys get
ting so excited that pop.bottlcs tossing |
may come back into fashion. You
can't keep squirrel on the ground.
The automobile undoubtedly drew |
from baseball. But autOmobiing on |
Sundays and holidays in the big cen
tiers Of population isn't exactly the JOY |
il used 10 be-, and ! am inclined 10 |
think that the only effect the auto |
now has on baseball is helpful. /
note that the owners Of the parking |
spaces around the ball yards all look |
N has been said, too, that the youth |
of tn land isn't playing baseball to
the extent it did in the old days, but ] |
doubt this. | seem to see ms many ex. |
ous games in progress on va
cant lots ms formcrly---that is, where |
there are any vacant lots. You know |
a vacant lot in n big city nowadays |
is something Of rarity-a lot big |
enough for bascballing without break.
ing the surrounding windows.
would bring hope and cheer to the |
hearts Of the magnates. The old game
will 90 on. md their dividends are apt |
to increase. Baseball. as the late
Charles II. Ebbets. Of Brooklyn, once
remarked. is still in its infancy.
OF course, none of the magnates
have been starving. anyway. As
matter Of fact. the owner of any big |
league baseball property in the coun.
try that includes realty holdings is
rich on just the natural in.
crease Of real estate values in his
town since the time he went into the
baseball business.
And yet the baseball magnate is
human, no matter what his customers
sometimes think. Being human, he
would love to see new interest in his