The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-06-08
Ten Million Take Part as Sport Heads For Heights
BY JERRY BRONDFIELD NEA Service Sports Writer

up and the 65,00O, ,000 fans who will watch softball played this summer should be proof enough that the sport soon may be recognized as the most popular in the country.
 That many people, plus more than 1O,000,000, active participants, can't be wrong. However, the tre- nendous appeal softball has for spectator interest will not harm baseball; instead, many competent observers feel 1t will prove 8 very valuable adjunct to the national game.
 Opinions differ as to whether softball will prove a training ground for big league baseball ma- terial, but it is agreed that softball has done so much to arouse inter- est in baseball as a sport that the big leagues are bound to benefit commercially.
 This, despite the fact that in many cities softball games out draw baseball games by thousands.
 George Sisler, who reputedly made 8 small fortune by organiz- ing softball in St. Louis after he concluded his major league career, is foremost among those who do not regard softball as a big league talent feeder.
 HEINRICH, KELTNER
 WERE SOFTBALL STARS
 Even though softball requires just as much skill," he points out, "the difference in size of the play ing field, and the ball, call for a definite technique. Unless a boy has had lot of previous hardball ex- pegience, he will find it difficult to adapt himself to actual baseball" ]"
 Heinie Groh, New York Giant scout, concurs. He says youngsters realize this, and those who have their eyes on big league careers and the fat salaries to be made therein are passing up softball for baseball.
 Softball players, however, have gone to major league stardom. Tommy Henrich of the Tanks and Ken Keltner of the Indians are the two outstanding examples, having played the game in Massillon and Milwaukee, respectively.
 A small minority, headed by Joe Crohin, manager of the Red Sox, contend that softbal lis a natural stop toward baseball provided the hoy doesn't wait too long be- fore entering the hardball field. SOFTBALL A PRODUCT
 OF THE DEPRESSION
 Softball, largely a product of the depression, received its big impetus from the fact it could be played in less room with less equipment, which in turn meant less expense.
 The Amateur Softball associa- ticn of America did much to or ganize the sport by standardizing rules, receiving sanction of the National A. A. U., and promoting the world series of Softball which is held in Chicago each year. Here the finest softbal teams in the land compete for what is tanta- mount to the worlds amateur championship.
 It has become a natural sports opportunity in school, church, city, and industrial leagues. Parks equipped for night games have sprung up all over the country.
 Crowds as large as 30,000 have witnessed nocturnal contests in Los Angeles. Night games give fans who don't get chance to see league baseball games in the after noon an opportunity to sit in on their favorite pastime.
 Finals at the softball world series in Chicago have drawn more than 35,000. In St. Louis, Cleve- land, Rochester, Detroit, Los An geles, and other softbal hotbeds, crowds at night games frequently exceed the turnstile figures of a major league contest played that same afternoon.
 GIRLS TEAMS LEND
 ADDITIONAL COLOR
 Possibly the greatest contributing factor to softball's success was the advent of feminine competition. Not only do they add a dash of color with their modern, scanty uniforms, but the better girls teams play a brand of ball that is almost unbe- lievably fast.
 Speed throughout has been the keynote of baseball. Rules are about 90 per cent the same as baseball, but the game is staged on a smaller diamond. Instead of the old 14-inch bali that was popular a few years back, the game is played with 12-inch ball that is far from soft. All players but the pitcher wear gloves. There's noth- ing soft about softball as the better teams play it.
 The Detroit recreation depart ment, making a study of softball growth in the Motor City, was amazed at its findings The ratio is 0 to 1 over hardball. More than 51,000 players play on 340O soft ball teams, as compared to 6588 performers with 3e6 organized hardball clubs.
 Detroit has 2l4 softball dia- monds, and they are so much in demand that five permits day are granted every day for each.
 The trend is much in the same direction throughout the country. Baseball,s kid brother is much more than a novelty.