New Britain herald., 1930-10-02
LOT OF COLOR IS
 GONE FROM SERIES
Fans Fail to Be EnthuSed at the
 Opening Contest

Philadelphia, Pa. Oct. 2 (UP)-I Unless St. Louis can stir up some- thing, it will have to be recorded that a lot of the color and glamor has departed from that typical American institution known as the Worlds Series.
 More than 32,000 fans sat through nine innings of the first game of the series yesterday. saw Philadel- phia, the home team, win to ?; witnessed the flight of two home runs over the left field fence gazed upon the president of the United States who was there with cabinet officers and others of high place; and they didn't utter a full throat ed roar the entire afternoon.
 There was no roofing section. A few people did break down now and then and clap their hands deli cately. There was no brass band, instead music came from phono- graph records played over an am plifier. Even Hail to the Chief" played when MT. Hoover entered, and the Star Spangled Banner" which brought all those thousands of people to their feet, heads bare, were ground out by a talking ma chine.
 The pop boys didn't shout their wares, but talktAl in low tones as If they were intruding on some ones quiet. There wasn't a fist fight any where: not even when foul ball went into the stands and a dozen fans scrambled for it. Some of the fouls even failed to inspire scramble.
 The old pennant raising ceremony was missing. When it came time to raise the pennant some ground keeper just went out and ran it up the flag pole. Nobody cheered
 Not half the people in the park knew anything was happening when President Hoover tossed out the first ball. Most of them saw it bounding across the field and and thought it just another ball roll ing around. MT. Hoover smiled and seemed to do his best to liven things up but not even the president could do it.
 About the only touch of color all afternoon came from Babe Ruth and later from Mickey Cochrane and Burleigh Grimes. Ruth, bigger than anybody on the field and looking still bigger in his great tan overcoat, puffed stout cigars, and displayed boyish enthusiasm. He chewed gum between full lunged puffs at his big perfecto and generally acted like a human being in love with baseball. Cochrane and Grimes made their contribution when Grimes struck out Cochrane. Mickey took a couple of steps into the diamond so Grimes could hear and cast a half dozen words which must have been pretty we'll chosen, straight at the pitcher who had humbled him.
 Grimes knows some words him. self and he cast them right back at Cochrane, who then was strolling in the direction of the Athletics dug out immediately beneath President Hoover's box. What was more, Grimes placed his right thumb at a right angle to his right ear, his left thumb at a right angle to his left ear, and wiggled his fingers. It not only was a very derisive gesture, but it was right in the di- rection of the president of the Unit ed States. Cochrane knew it was not directed at the president. however, and so he countered with a stiff glare down the nose and the incl dent was declared closed. But it was a demonstration of what versatile person this Grimes is, because he can twiddle his fingers at his ears and say some pretty powerful Saxon words of one and two syllables, all at the same time.
 The victory of the Athletics yes terday seemed to have put little more life into the city of brotherly love and last night there was more noise, gaiety and chatter on the streets than there was at the ball park This afternoons game may find the fans clearing their threats, at least, even if they don't shout. But one gets feeling from yes- , terday's game-from the quiet of the crowd. from the whining phono- graph records. from the machine like system on which everything is run-that baseball is falling vic- tim to the American trend towards mechanization. It makes one think that perhaps mechanical pitchers serving up motorized baseballs to automatic batters, for the amuse- ment of fans, watching via television, may be just around the corner.
 On the other hand, maybe its just l the Economic depression"