The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-07-08
NOW
Big Ball Game
DiSappOintS
COLUMNIST
BY HELEN ESSARY


10000 distinguished citizens and
watched the greatest ball players
of the age in sweltering July COM
bat.
was told by the program and
by the very kind gentleman on
my right that the IS or 40 twirlers
and batterr on diamond and in
dugout were worth, on the hoof,
about 100000. That they were
the aristocrats of baseball, price
less above coronation rubieS and
the idols of the entire North Amer
lean continent.
Maybe so. Maybe so. But the
game those heroes played was just
too genteel for me. 1t was prac.
tically too, too divine.
I know less about the delicate
points of baseball than lady bug
knows about spring millinery, but
I do like things to happen when
players as valuable as a WPA
grant meet in battle.
I like to see the big brutes dash
about the field and throw balls
high in the air. 1 like plenty of
sliding for base. A few fist fights
here and there and pop bottles
thrown at a mean players ear
brighten my afternoon.
A black eye for an umpire, plus
yells and shouts from the grand
stand make me feel that the great
American game has kept its pep
along with it's super build up.
But yesterdays all-star match
wasn't half as exciting as a Sun
day school picnic. The crowd,
those 10000 who robbed children'S
banks to pay for tickets, thought
the same.
A few cheers, no insults and
one or two weak boos were the
afternoons record for enthusiasm.
No wiSecracking bibulous gents
jeered or praised the heroes.
There wasn't hint of rough stuff
from the time the band marched
around the field until the last
inning had skunk silently into
history. Not one umpire was in
suited. All four went home-for-
gotten men.
There might have been a dash
Of excitment if Dizzy Dean hadn't
cooked a careful eye just before
he pitched a ball during a bit Of
warming up. Big Jesse Jones who
used to send a nasty curved ball
in the days before the r. F. c.
was ever dreamed Of, started
across the field.
Mr.. Jones would have caught
Mr.. Deans ball just under the left
eye, if Mr.. Dean hadn't seen Mr..
Jones just in, time and dropped
his raised fist, ball and all.
When the President arrived
there was a little furry of ap-
plause. But nothing to build a
campaign on.
Dizzy Dean, the prina donna Of
the all star troupe would have
been a first class show himself if
he hadn't played so badly. Even
so, he was the fellow the crowd
was most interested in.
Dizzy should say is the Leng-
len of baseball. You remember
how Lenglen dramatiZed every ap-
pearance and every absence of her
tennis championship days. How
you could always count on her to
60 tempermental and brighten up
dull routine-juSt like Dizzy.
81 don't care what people say
about Dizzy" cOnfided the lady
on my left, there's so much
about him and everything-yOu
know. He's got 1T just like the
President
The ladies at the ball game
were hand-picked crowd.
Generally the husband had left
the Little Woman at home. But
when she came she was as some
thing to please the eye.
No little house wrenS we're in
yesterdays grandstand All the
gals about were smartly dressed.
bright of eye and lipstick and
knew what was going on.
BY amazing calculation I fig
ured that the percentage of gen.
tlemen engaged in sport yester-
day as compared with sthe on
lockers was in the ratio of 1000
to /. And yet we think we're
nation of athletes. We ought to
take a close look at the expand.
ing, American waistline. And stop
being mere sports spectators be-
fore it's too late.
kept waiting all afternoon for
good American epigramS to roar
from the upper seats. One blue
shirted fellow did shout when Lou
Gehrig knocked out the only home
run of the day. "Them'S the kind
Of plays that wins ball games"
Speaking of shirts reminds me
that half of the coatleSs men had
choSen-aS the fashion writers
Say-blue for the occasion.
Baseball experts probably will
have an explanation for the
Continued on Page 10, Col. 81