The Washington times., 1930-06-14
COLLEGIANS
PLAY OLD
STYLE

CLEVELAND, Ohio, June a.
I've had baseball scouts tell m,
several times in the last fev
years that baseball interest in col
leges was slipping-but it was no
until the other day that any O
them ever gave me a reason To-
It.
"The reason we have 50 little
baseball interest in colleges
these days is because Of the
home rum" this scout declared.
1 laughed in his face. "NO, i
mean it," he continued. "I'm
not kidding q Bit"
"But how" / asked.
well here's the way I've got
it figured out" he explained.
elm the last ten years baseball
fans have been sold on the
home run. They've been edu-
Gated to expect it, and they're
disappointed If they don't get
q few homers as part of admis
sion price. But college boys
lack the strength and the ply.
sique to become hOme-run hit
tiers.
"The college season is so
short and the coaching work
so limited that they don't get
the benefit Of long supervised
practice sessions. College
coaches can't afford to let their
hitterS so up there and swing
from the heels for the sake of
a few long clOuts. They've got
to try and win ball games, and
to win ball games they're forced
to play the old sacrifice, stolen
base. heads up type Of one run
baseball.
"It's better baseball to watch
but the fans don't know it. They
want home runs and long hit
ting and what they get in col.
lege games is the Old-faShiOned
type Of play. And there's
another angle too. The kids,
like the fans are sold on the
long hitting idea. And all of
them are So full Of the long
hit motion that they neglect
the finer points Of their play,
and toss aside the type thing
can do in an attempt to emulate
the deeds Of big hitterS whose
prOweSS they can't match. No
sir, one Of the things that is
taking the interest out of col.
lege baseball is the home run.
/ visit a lot Of colleges in a
year and / know
can't say I agree with tn
scout but he certainly has {
new slant on college baseball
And I will say this. I don't be
l1eve the type of college player
we got now are as well develope,
or as finished in their play as tn
chaps who came up some eigh
or ten years ago. Though / hat
figured it out that it was becaus
their interest in baseball was les
and their interest in other sport
SO much greater that they didn'
devote as much time to baseball
anymore.
Anyhow it's an interesttn
thing. And there's one question
that you can answer. That j
simply this. If interest in base
ball is falling off why is it tina
baseball attendance has peel
greater this year than ever oefors
The answer is that it can't b
any lack of intereSt-else tina
would show at the box office.
A lot of people think golf ha
cut into baseball. Maybe it has,
don't know. Not so much at tn
box office as on the playing fielC
certainly. Kids nowadays are ou
on the golf courses picking VI
a few dollars by caddying. The,
haven't time for baseball. Blu
they're interested just the sanlt
I was playing golf the other da,
and I asked my caddy aboIl
baseball.
"Gee Mr.. Ruth" he said,
'T'd rather play baseball than
golf. This golf is a business
and I'm making money with
it. But us caddieS play base
ball a lot. We've got a dia-
mOnd out back Of the Caddy
house and we have a lot Of
fun there when we're not
busy carrying clubs. But OF
course a fellow can't be play
ing ball when he can pick
up three or four dollars a
day cadding."
And there's another answer t
the alleged lack of interest il
baseball.
(CoryriSht. 1880. by The Christy