Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-08
War Probably
Means Finish I
Of Baseball
Pleasant Entertainment.
but Not Essential
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

ny IVES Il DhOOh II EOAER
IT BEGINS TO look as though
- the manpower problem of
the baseball industry will be
solved for the duration by the
abolition of that which, in rank
injustice 10 the game of craps,
has been called the national
pastime.
II bartenders, gamblers and
fortune tellers are nondeferable
and nonessential. then the DASH
ing athletes must recognize that
their numbers are up. too. This
Is a serious. if not a grim
matter.
Baseball has been growing on
us. 1t means more TO us than
we know, and II il is washed
out now that will be the first
interruption in the history OF
the professional game.
This might have happened in
the first World War but the
victory in France saved base
ball at home in 1919 after the
abbreviated season OF 1918.
Thereafter, the sudden turn INTO
the era of wonderful nonsense
brought a development of base.
ball publicity, ceremony and
luxury that fixed IL as one OF
those habits which politicians
refer 10 when they speak OF our
cherished institution.
II was a sturdy industry and
a pleasant entertainment for the
patrons before the other war.
but when such millionaires as
Rupert and Huston and Wrig-
lev bought in and the papers
gave il more and more im1
portance and space, II reallyN
took us over.
Men formed parties and came
all the way from California and
Texas 10 New York for the
World Series and the training
parties in the South were CAL
endar events, the forerunner OF
spring.
The baseball reporter had tha
easiest and happiest job on the
newspaper staff, and. inciden-
tally, gave US some of the best
newspaper writing OF the last
20 years.
DUF two years ago. Judge X.
- NJ. Lands, IN fsr-seeIng
moment. guessed that If this var
should turn up our street. base
ball would have 10 yield because,
as he thought, the people would
not he generous TO any Amerl-
: can male. young and strong and
agile enough 10 play MAJOR
league ball who didn find sone-
thing else 10 do.
The argument that baseball
/ is essential 10 good morale
among civilians seems rather
wan. for any civilian population
that can't stand up under a war
as far away As Africa and the
Solomons won't he cured by a
few afternoons al a ball yard,
or the box scores in the five
star final.
American interests seem 70 be
changing and just wonder
whether professional sport as we
knew il in the last 20 years will
ever come back.
would include intercollegiate
football because IL was a busi-
ness, even though the athletes
who did draw pay got little of
that or only board, room, books
and tuition 4
II seemed that football begaLv
10 decline after the death OF
Knute Rockne and the reform
at NYU. In recent years the
j.. crowds fell off and undergradu-
ates developed a COL eye for the
coach and mature indifference
TO the heroes Of the big ganes
DRIZEFTGHTING would bs
L puny combat 10 men who have
learned 26 ways 10 kill With
their bare hands and without
sound, and if / were still writ
ing sport l think | would Try 10
anticipate a change in that
bright new world Of the future
that we hear so much about
1t may he said for baseball,
in appreciation Of its importance
in the United States Of America,
that il is hard TO imagine any
other happening. short of a
bombing at home that would
make a deeper impression on
the people than its suspension
for the duration.
For. il baseball goes, then
things must be serious indeed
with us who had come 10 re-
gard il as something fixed. UNI
touchable and privileged in
American life.
There need be no concern
over the movie industry for the
cinema owes its life and the
freedom from prison of many Of
its leaders 10 those who have
the power 10 call il nonessential
and they will never do that as
long as il accepts its themes
from Washington and serves the
politics Of its protectors.
Baseball, unfortunately. all
ttOt,Cb a tclafiNoIy cy,a1 ,o.,