Evening star., 1933-01-25


IL in return, so it certainly is
surprising that it keeps un-
der cover movement calculated
to do it much good and besides
get deal of favorable publicity.
We refer to the base ball educa-
Gonal work that Umpire George
Moriarty carries on under the
sponsorship of the American
League. George has been instruct
ing the young idea in the virtues
OF the national pastime the past
two Winters, it seems, yet not a
peep about it has come to the
press from base ball headquarters.
In carrying on his educational cam
paign, it appears Moriarty has confined
his activities mainly to rural localities.
He has hit the larger towns infre-
quently. Thus the sports scribes of the
bigger cities who would willingly have
helped in furthering this worthwhile
work did not hear of 1t. And there has
been no disposition on the part of the
American League to tell them about it.
Odd, too, as for several years the
sport among the collegiates and Scho-
lastics of the country has caused an
acute pain in the necks of the big
league moguls. Such pain that they
have yelled loudly for relief, but SEEM
tngly unable to suggest remedy them
selves.
MOT until the sport was threatened
~ with extinction, SO far as the
Washington high schools were con-
cerned, was anything learned here OF
Moriarty's missionary work and then
the information did not come from
base ball source. But for friend in
tereSted in sports generally and base
ball particularly, who happened to
stumble across information relative to
the umpire's Winter work, we would
still be in the dark But that's base
balls way of handling any proposition
that has nothing directly to do with
the game on the field or IN the money
chests.
Clark Griffith, president of the Ma
tionals of course. has known what
Moriarty has been doing. He admitted
that today. But not until it appeared
base ball in the city high schools was
doomed did the Washington prexy begin
to think there might be something
good in Moriarty'S line.
When first Tech and then Roosevelt
began to ponder over the advisablllty
of continuing the national pastime
Griffith really got busy Not only did
he offer a perpetual trophy to be put
up for an annual high school base baii
series, but yearly team trophy. medals
for members of the winning nine and
ers. He also has rendered the use OF
Griffith Stadium for the high school
title series and topped it off by max
ing almost frantic endeavors to locate
Moriarty that he might bring him to
Washington to preach base ball to the
scholaStlcS
Now it seems that Tech will continue
base ball Three other high schools
announced some time ago they would
carry on with the game. Only Roose-
welt still is doubtful. But that's not
enough for Griffith. The game of his
heart has been threatened in a way
that hurts deeply-and right In ms
home town. too. So he's looking for
DR.. Moriarty that the intellectual ump
might tell the boys what great game
is base ball and how bad it would be
for them to quit 1t.
CETTING hold of DR.. Moriarty,
" though, is something else. When
last heard of he was doing mis-
sionary work in and around Boston. AS
they are doing in other big cities, the
boys of Boston are being Weaned from
the national pastime, SO Morry was
hustled there to do good turn. Grit
fifth was unable to locate the good doc
tor in BeantoWn and, as last resort,
he has wired William Harrldge, pfesl-
dent of the American League. to track
down Morry and get him here pronto.
According to reports of his Boston
efforts, the man who played such
sterling third base in the big show be-
fore he became an umpire, made big
hit with the New England schoolboys.
There's no reason why he shouldn't.
Besides knowing his subject thoroughly,
Moriarty is a personable character and
a speaker of parts. He drives to point
quickly. too. That no doubt comes
from his newspaper experience. He is
an accomplished writer on sports.
In talking to the New England
Youngsters, Morry, the Boston yarns |
told warmed right up on his subject in |
an entertaining way, embracing all |
angles of the game from the comic side
to the more serious business. ae !
sketched the inception of the game
from the time Abner Doubleday, who
later fired the first gun at Fort Sumter
to start the Civil War. first traced out
the initial diamond at Cooperstown, !
N Y.
And he tried to make the way soft
for the rest of the umpires when he ex-
planned to the boys that umpires, after
all. are only humans. Athletics and !
good citizenship go hand in hand, was
Morry's claim He told the boys the
lessons learned on the athletic field
have contributed to the upbuilding OF |
the country. All through his talk. the !
good doctor kept base ball to the fore.
Great work, Morry. Garry on. And |
we hope Griffith succeeds in getting |
YOU here to talk to the Washington /
school boys We'd like to hear you talk,