WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22,.1945 TAI MICHIGAN DILYi~ PAGE I Doubleday Tur ns in Grave; Baseball's Founding Quesi tioned! 4" V - ------ - ------ R:> * V dATW TrW9TQVIE i BSy HANK KEISER It looks as if a basic American ideal is about to be shattered. One may only guess what effects this will have on the very core of American life. Perhaps the whole foundation of our democratic structure will be shaken. You ask, what is this horrible reve- lation? Well, listen: All evidence points to the fact that the great American game of baseball was not invented by Ab- ner Doubleday,in 1839, at Coopers- town, N. Y., but stems from a game of English origin. This Anglican pastime, called "rounders," differed from baseball in that the fielders retired a base runner by the somewhat bloodthirsty prac- tice of conking him with the mis- sile. In 1840 a humanitarian Amer- ican, who shall remain nameless chiefly because nobody knows who he was, instituted the more gentle plan of tagging, instead of beaning, a runner to retire him. Naturally, since there was a shortage of able players at the time, the innovation was rapidly supply. adopted to conserve the However, America quaked at the thought that its national pastime was merely a "zoot suit" version of a British lawn contest. So, in true Yankee style, a well-known sporting goods house which found itself with nothing better to do during the off- season, established a commission, to determine a more acceptable expla- nation of the origin of baseball. It could be pointed out that a more favorable explanation of the game's inception would result in an increase in its popularity, thus enabling said business establishment to sell more balls and bats. But such a view would be wholly incompatible with American industry's noble picture of American industry: Be that as it may, the Commis- sion, composed not of trained ex- perts but of baseball men reported, in 1908, that baseball was invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday, later Gen. Doubleday, a hero of the bat- tle of Gettysburg. And that expla- nation stuck! But, in 1939, a lone figure from the catacombs of the N. Y. Public Li- brary raised his stentorian voice in protest against the "Doubleday Doc- trine." The voice belonged to R. W. Henderson who issued a pamphlet that strengthened the argument of the "English-origin" school of think- ers. Today, added facts seem to indi- cate (to the dread of the American public) that, in truth, baseball is English "rounders" with pegged pants. H. G. Salsinger, sports editor of the Detroit News, points out that the controversy has been carried to the authoritative pages of the 1946 Encyclopedia Britannica. In this publication Will Irwin argues in favor of the English-origin theory, pointing out that pop bottles were being thrown at umpires in Eng- land as early as 1748: "The name 'base ball' to desig- nate some popular English game, has been traced back to the first half of the eighteenth century," he writes. "In the 'Letters of Mary Lepell, Lady Hervey," accurs a passage under the date of Nov. 8, 1748, satirizing Freder- ick Prince of Wales and his romantic habits: 'The Prince's family is an example of cheerful and innocent amusements . . . they divert them- selves at base ball, a play all who are or have been, schoolboys, are well acquainted with.' " Although this does not make very racy reading, as do most private memoirs, it illu- strates the point pretty well. Irwin goes on to point out, "In 'Northanger Abbey,' written about 1798, Jane Austen remarks of her heroine, 'It was not very wonderful that Catherine, who had by nature nothing heroic about her, should pre- fer cricket, base ball, riding on horse- back, and running around the country at the age of 14, to books.' " Person- ally, I think any tomato thatrgoes sightseeing through the heather at 14 is a bit of a square. At that age lady friends of my acquaintance were concerned mainly with devising snares to trap unsuspecting young gentlemen. But that has no place here, since we are discussing baseball. To get back to the matter at hand: "in 1744, 'A Little Pretty Pocketbook' (not the type obtained at the burlesque show "with every bar of chocolate purchased") was published in England . . . it pic- tures and describes-26 children's sports-one for each letter of the alphabet-and 'B' is represented by baseball." The book was re- printed twice in America, in 1762 and 1787. "There is a great deal of evidence that baseball was played elsewhere in this country long before Coopers- town, N. Y. ever heard of it," Salsing- er states. It seems as though um- pires' skulls have been unearthed at Valley Forge, seeming to indicate that General Washington's men were stealing bases as early as 1778. The boys from Rochester, N. Y. whose pool-room was raided by the local gendarmes, decided to martyr themselves by braving the dangers of concentrated and prolonger doses of fresh air, so they formed a baseball club way back in 1825. As expected, not many survived. To top it off there was published4 in London. in 1828, a work entitled "The Boys Own Book," containing, among other things, helpful hints to youth concerning book-making, taking numbers, making a 10 the hard way, systems for selecting a1 two-horse parley and a daily double, and various methods of peddling dope. In addition, this handy little guide, which may be likened to modern books on the raising of healthy, happy, normal children, contained a full descrip- tion of the aforementioned "round- ers," and the game bears a closer resemblance to baseball than rug- by to American football. The book was printed in America in 1835, when Doubleday, 16-years-old, was still pitching pennies on street- corners. Irwin, in the Encyclopedia Britan- nica, has this to say about Double- day, the accredited inventor of the game: "Abner Doubleday entered West Point in 1838 and was graduated and commissioned in regular order in 1842. In that period, as later, a West Point cadet had no leave dur- ing his second year. That, he was at Cooperstown at all in 1839 is therefore improbable, and that he was an instructor in a military school unlikely, and that he had the rank of colonel, virtually impossible." So, it appears likely that Double- day, the baseball fan's Santa Claus, didn't know the difference between a baseball bat and a flag-pole. It may even be that he regarded steal- ing a base a criminal offense, pun- ishable under the Articles of War. But disregarding that, and gazing at the other side of the picture, we may venture to speculate at the ef- fects this revelation might have on the American pastime. For example, since baseball is essentially an Eng- lish game, maybe we should disregard the practice of beginning each con- test with the traditional cry of "Play ball," and substitute a rousing "Tal- ly-ho!" Newsom Hurls A's to Split with Tigers; 7-6, 6-7 Detroit Remains One Game In League Lead As Greenberg Stars DETROIT, Aug. 21 -(p)- Louis (Bobo) Newsom, as advertised, pitched both ends of a twin bill for the Philadelphia Athletics today, but the Detroit Tigers knocked him out of the box twice, winning the night- cap 7 to 6 with a ninth inning rally after losing the first game by the same score in 11 innings. Newsom lasted six innings of the opener, retiring in the seventh with the score 6-3 in his favor. Jittery Joe Berry lost the lead when Rudy York's ninth inning homer tied the score but the A's came back to score in the 11th. on Irv Hall's single and Mayo Smith's double to pin the de- feat on Artie Houtteman, third Ti- ger pitcher. Old Bobo got away to a 4-0 first inning lead in the nightcap when Frank (Stubby) Overmire hit two batsmen and walked another before the A's. catcher Charley (Greek) George poled a three-run triple. Roy Cullenbine's 13th homer of the year in the seventh shaved Phil- adelphia's lead to one run at 6-5 after the game had been interrupted twice by rain. With the rain coming down again as Detroit came up in the ninth, Ed Borom beat out an infield hit, Doc Cramer singled to center and Hank Greenberg hit a line drive that went through to the wall for a double as left fielder Bob Wilkins skidded and fell. That tied the score and brought Berry to Newsome's relief the second time. Roy Cullenbine was purposely passed to fill the bases and Rudy Yorkdrilled a single through short to break up the game. Each club had 28 hits in the dou- bleheader, Al Benton giving up nine hits in the six innings of the opener as he failed for the fourth straight time to go as far as seven innings. Overmire was lifted after four in- nings of the second game, charged with five hits and six runs. Major League Standings Final Phase of Basketball Practice Opens Strack's Return Cheers Barcla y SY LICHTER Opening the final phase of basket- ball's summer practice last Tuesday, Coach Bill Barclay found that Dave Strack, letter winner in 1942 and 1943, has been discharged from the Marine Corp. and is returning to basketball. . Strack, who was a guard on the Michigan basketball team during the years that he played, was elected hon- orary captain after his departure in 1943. Dave was a Marine here at Michigan for one year, but he was ordered to Paris Island to train for his commission. He was discharged just one day before his commission- i. ing. ,Strack is now and will graduate Offensive Stressed a senior at school, in February. As for practice, drills are consist- ing mainly of offensive screening plays. This is done so that the players will get practice in fast breaks under playing conditions. Usually there is one set of men trying to get to the basket, and one set guarding them. After this is done for a while, the men rotate-thus giving all can- didates a chance to be on the offen- sive. This form of drill is followed by a practice game between the "skins" and the "red shirts." The players are now able to put their knowledge into effect, under simulated game conditions. Veterans on Team To date, the team has three men who are experienced in collegiate basketball. They are veteran letter- men Kieth Harder, a forward last year, and Don Lindquist, who played guard last year; and Red Louthen, who played for Western Michigan last season. Types of Drills Coach Barclay utilizes many differ- ent types of drills. One consists of having the players stand in a circle. Within this circle stand two men who try to block the passes that the play- ers standing around the ring throw to each other. When one of the men within the circle blocks a pass thrown by one of his teammates, he goes to the outside of the sphere and the man, whose pass was blocked, goes to the center, where he then tries to block the passes thrown by the play- ers remaining around the ring. Another di;,ill consists of having two men trying to shoot baskets, while two of their team mates guard them. This affords the opportunity of practicing shots under the guard of an opposing player. The team is now practicing at the Yost Fieldhouse, and sessions are be- ing held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Red Sox Split With Browns ST. LOUIS, Aug. 21-(/P)-The St. Louis Browns could only manage a split in their doubleheader tonight with the Boston Red Sox, but moved into a virtual tie for third place in the American League with Chi-' cago who dropped a doubleheader to New York. The Browns won the first game, 2 to 1, and lost the second, 4 to 3, in a contest called after five innings because of rain. RETURNS TO THE FOLD-Dave Strack, recently discharged from the Marine Corps, is now working out with the Maize and Blue basket- ball squad after a two and one half year lay-off. Strack played on the '42 and '43 teams and was elected honorary captain at the end of the '43 season. SPORTS NEWS + VIEWS + COMMENT By BILL MULLENDORE, Sports Editor MILITARY DISCHARGES are in the air, and another complicating factor is added to the confusion that already is the American League pennant race. With the Greenbergs, the Fellers, the DiMaggios, the Kellers, and the rest of them beginning to make their way back to baseball, the also ran becomes a contender and the contender becomes an also-ran in a screwy up-and-down cycle that leaves us all slightly dizzy. MUCH of the Detroit Tigers' success in holding on to the American League lead can be traced to the effects of these discharges. First there was Big Al Benton, whose phenomenal pitching over the early-season route did much to keep Detroit, in the running. Then came Hank Greenberg, and Hank's big bat, which has been pounding the ball at a better than .500 clip for the past 15 games, has supplied some much needed punch to the Tiger attack. Now the possible return of "Fireball" Virgil Trucks may have much to do with the Bengals' ability to cling to first place. Over in Cleveland, the Indians are playing like champions without the services of mound ace Bob Feller, the best right-hander in baseball. Feller is due back Friday, and his return might go a long way toward making Cleveland's determined first-place challenge a successful one. N NEW YORK, the fans are cheered by the re-appearance of Charlie Keller in Yankee uniform and the expected discharge of Joe DiMaggio within ten days. Put Keller and DiMaggio back in Joe McCarthy's lineup, and the team assumes a far more serious aspect when it comes to conten- sion for the pennant. MEANWHILE, 'he Washington Senators can trace their recent climb back to the day whey, Buddy Lewis came back. While Lewis was never in the class with Greenberg, Feller, DiMaggio, et al as a ball player, he seems to have wielded a steadying influence on Ossie Bluege's young and inexperi- enced collection of talent. His handy stickwork at the plate also has helped the Senators to several ball games they might not otherwise have won. As the days go by, more and more former stars of the national pastime will be coming back to their old haunts. Even though the season is definitely in its later stages, many of these men will still have time to exert their influence in the final positions of their respect- ive clubs. AS MATTERS now stand, returning stars have a more than normal import- ance to their teams. Pre-war calibre performers are mighty scarce these days, and the addition of even one or two often is enough to make a difference of several games in the final standings. All of which, added to the generally chaotic character of the American League scramble, points to a repeat performance of the 1944 last-ditch battle that was not decided until the final game of the season. AROUND THE CLOCK WITH WPAG I 1 NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS W L Pct. Chicago ..........74 40 .649 St. Louis .........70 47 .598 Brooklyn .........63 52 .548] New York.... ...64 54 .542l Pittsburgh .......62 58 .517 Boston ..... .......54 66 .450 *Cincinnati ........45 68 .398 *Philadelphia ......34 81 .2964 TUESDAY'S RESULTS Chicago 3, New York 4. # Pittsburgh 12, Brooklyn 1. St. Louis 8, Boston 4. o Cincinnati at Philadelphia. (night). WEDNESDAY'S GAMES No games scheduled. AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAMS W I, Pct. Detroit ...........66 48 .579. Washington ......65 49 .570 Chicago..........59 55 .518 **St. Louis ........57 53 .518 Cleveland........58 55 .513 New York ........56 54 .509 **Boston ..........53 61 .4651 Philadelphia ......36 75 .3242 GB 5 111/ 12 15 23 28%/ 40%/ GB 1 7 7 72 8 13 2812 *Playing single night game. **Playing twi-night doublehead- er. TUESDAY'S RESULTS Philadelphia 7-6, Detroit 6-7. New York 3-6, Chicago 0-2. Washington 11, Cleveland 8. Bostgn at St. Louis (2-night). WEDNESDAY'S GAMES Philadelphia at Detroit. Washington at Cleveland (2). WED., AUG. 22, 1945 Eastern War Time 7:00-News 7:05-Morning Round-Up 7:15-Sleepy Head Serenade 8:00-News. 8:15-1050 Club. 8:30-Breakfast Melodies. 10:45-Waltz Time. 11:00-News. 11:05-Popular Vocalist. 11:15-Hollywood Melody. 11:30-Farm & Home Hour. 11:55 Martial & College Airs. 12:00-News. 12:15-Jesse Crawford. 12:20-Today's Band. 2:45 Baseball Brevities. 2:55-Baseball (Phila. at Detroit). 5:00--News. 5:05-Music for Listening. 5:10-Hollywood Reporter 5:15-Mg, tery Melodies. 5:30-Reo. Room Rythms. 5:45-Sports Review. 6:00-News. iI I