The Washington times., 1936-03-11

BoySport
Minded
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

There is nothing wrong with
the youth of America today !!
He is a normal alert, sport
loving boy, taken as a whole,
who exhibits a healthy interest
in virile things.
He is not the exact proto-
type of his father because he
has his adolescence in a changed
surrounding; but basically he
is heading for just as useful a
life.
I am not asking you to take my
word for it.
I cite two authorities who comb
the country every winter making
observations of masculine Ameri-
can life between the ages Of 10
and 25-George Moriarty and
Charley Peterson.
MOriarty and Peterson
Moriarty, erstwhile baseball
player and manager and No. !
umpire of the American League,
has talked to a dozen school audi
toriums of young boys-and girls,
too-every week since the last
world series.
Charley Peterson, self styled
Bald Eagle of Billiards, has ex-
hibited his plain and fancy shots
before a weekly average Of three
groups of college men since the
first of the year and still has an
itinerary which will take him we'll
through the month of April.
These men are missionaries of
their respective sports. They are
goodwill emissaries sent forth
each winter to spread the gospel
Of baseball and billiards.
They penetrate a cross section
Of American youth which quail
fies them to say that the nation,
10, 20, 80 years from now will
be in the hands of fine citizens,
who as boys, reveal the vital
instincts that make for a full,
wholesome, useful manhood.
For instance, Moriarty reminds
me of how the high school and
Junior students too, volleyed him
with questions here last week
when he was touring the local
auditoriums with the American
League sound picture, Take Me
Out to the Ball Game"
Yearned for Inside Dope
Instead of beating a retreat
after sitting through so minutes
of the fascinating picture, they
fingered to fire problems at him
not treated in the film, the bet
ter to improve their own game.
In one instance when the film
had been shown from IL until
noon, a group Of dozen boys
in their teens held George
through their own lunch hour to
get him to illustrate the fine
points of baseball violations, such
as a pitching balk and the catcher
blocking a runner at the plate il
legally and before the ball is in
his hand.
Sought Comparisons
They pressed for Georges OBJ
servations on catching runners off
the bases, the hit and run, base
stealing, the squeeze play and kim
dred baseball maneuverS.
They pried into the merits Of
The old-time players as compared
with the modern player; the lively
ball VS.. the dead ball, the scien-
tific game VS.. the Slugging game
"Ah, Kirk" said George, the
father of a grown son who is
well on his way toward becOm-
ing q Middle West surgeon"
the kids today are great. They
are ambitious to learn. They
seek the right way to do things.
America will always be safe in
the hands Of the kind of boys
the country is producing in the
modern scheme of education
and mental and physical devel-
opment."
PETERSON FINDS SAME TYPE
No less sanguine were Charlie
Peterson's observations, particu-
larly with reference to the college
man Of today.
'Why, you should have seen
them at West Point and at Penn
syIvania. At the Point my ex-
hibitiOn ran from $3.50 until 5
O'Clock, and those youthful ca
diets, knowing mess time had ar
rived, beseeched me to sup with
them and return to the exhibi-
tiOn hall and give them addi-
tiOnal billiard instruction. 1
was glad to be able to ObIige.
/ liked their interest.
"At Pennsylvania, my show
was an evening affair ending
about IL p. m. When my regu-
lar routine was over. it was the
same story as at West Point.
Would 1 remain and speak in
formally on billiards, demon
strating the rudiments? The
first thing I knew the night
crew of janitOrs moved in with
their mops and was Swabbing
almost under our feet as the
clock raced on between midnight
and one.
"ThOse boys yearn for learning.