University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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ca egign ,CID ann oocmnn- The Invasion of the East BY ONE or THE TEAM On September 2, IQIO, the baseball team of the University of Chicago left for a series of games in Japan, at the invitation of VVaseda University of Tokyo. The party consisted of Pro- fessor Bliss, faculty representativeg Manager Pageg Captain Peguesg Paul, Cleary, Sunderland, Ehrhorn, Collings, Boyle, Steinbrecher, Glen, and Orno Roberts, and Baird. In spite of the fact that there were thirteen in the party and that we left on a Friday night, the team had a wonderfully successful trip from every standpoint. Following a strenuous week of barnstorming, in which we won a majority of the games, we arrived in Seattle on Thursday, September 8. Here we were met by an enthusiastic crowd of Japanese representing the Mikado team, champions of the Pacific Coast Japanese League, and royally entertained. The next day, however, we beat our hosts by a score of I5 to I, the Japanese players being exceedingly nervous because of their desire to register the first defeat against our players by a japanese team. Saturday morning, September IO, found the bunch waving farewell to the United States as the Kamakura Maru slowly turned and headed down Puget Sound, bound for Yokohama, 4300 miles away. As the ship stopped for only a few hours at Victoria, B. C., we were soon going again in earnest. We continued for sixteen days without sighting so much as a single sail, and, although a few of us experienced some new feelings, mostly unpleasant, we enjoyed the voyage over. Practice was indulged in regularly in order to keep in condition for our series in Tokyo. But this was anything but beneficial to the manager's stock of baseballs, which dwindled rapidly as ball after ball was thrown into the water. We sighted land for the hrst time on the afternoon of September 25, when we passed a northern island of japan, and the next morning we ran up Tokyo Bay to Yokohama. VVe were heartily welcomed at the wharf by Stuffy', Place, a former maroon athlete, and several other foreigners, together with a crowd of Japanese. As we went from the wharf to the railroad station on our way to Tokyo, we experienced our lirst ride in Homo-mobiles. Carriages were waiting for us at the Shimbashi station in Tokyo, and we were shortly established in the Im- perial hotel. i Despite the fact that it rained seventeen out of the twenty-eight days we spent in Tokyo, we managed to play seven games, winning all of them. We beat our host's, Vfaseda University, by the scores ofg to 2, 5 to O, and I5 to 4, but were forced to do our best before we registered three victories over Keio University by the scores of3 to 1, 2 to I QIO inningsj, and 5 to 2 fIO inningsj. The second game was won from the VVaseda alumni team by the score of II to 2. Although we had been frequently warned against the Japanese players, we were surprised to see the high-class game they played. They are excellent lielders, daring and swift base run- ners an l accurate throwers Jlayinva heady tivrhtinvvameuntilthe last man is out in the last 1 ., L 1 . ,I ' 1 b. -I , b I inning. Their weakest spot is in batting. The games were exceedingly well attended, T T 1 2 Ll.

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G 301911 GP emo Gowns' the crowds running from 6,000 to 13,000 people. As rooters the Japanese were wonderful,and even after we had left the field they would remain standing in their seats, singing their inspiring songs and waving their flags in the face of defeat. Enough cannot be said ofthe way in which the games were conducted, and especially of the way in which they were umpired. Baron Mishima acted as umpire and his decisions in all cases were unquestionable. After we had passed a most enjoyable month in Tokyo, we left for a tour of western Japan as guests of the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun, the largest newspaper of Osaka. We played three games for them in Osaka against Waseda University, winning all three by the scores of 8 to 4, 20 to 0, and I2 to 2. These games were well attended, as ours was the first foreign team to play in that city. In the week we saw the cities of Naru and Kyoto with their wonderful temples, and on October 31 sailed from Kobe through the beautiful Inland Sea and across to Shanghai in China. We spent two days in this Gay City of the East and then sailed south to Hong- kong. It was at this point that we boarded the good ship Kaifong, 987 tons, and started across the rough China sea for Manila. The captain said we had a good voyage. The day following we found ourselves on the ball Held facing the Marines, the champions of Manila. There, in the midst of rain and mud, we met our hrst defeat in the Orient. A few days later, however, we turned the tables on them, and then won a double header from an All- Filipino team and the 12th Infantry team. This ended our baseball schedule. It was with lagging steps that we left the Americans who had entertained us so royally for a week, and got into the launch which was to take us out to the ship. In fact, Ehrhorn, Boyle, and Steinbrecher yielded to the situation, and remained in Manila for a few months in order to see more of the islands. Professor Bliss, Captain Pegues, and Ralph Cleary left us on the return trip at Hongkong to go westward around the world, while we came eastward. Thus, there were only seven of the party, Manager Page, Sunderland, Paul, Collings,Glen,and Orno Roberts, and Baird,who landed at Seattle on December 23 after a trip across the wintry Pacihc. Glen and Orno Roberts spent Christmas with relatives in Tacoma, Baird stopped in Montana, and the remaining four arrived in Chicago on the night of December 26 to be met by an enthusiastic crowd of rooters. Thus ended the 10,000 mile journey. Before I close I wish to express to the University and to President Judson the team's deepest appreciation for the wonderful opportunity given them of seeing the Ear East. l 13