American youngsters losing interest in baseball

Following conclusion of the recently played Little League Baseball World Series, concerns were expressed by tournament officials that American youngsters were losing interest in the nation's so-called "favorite pastime" — baseball. The word "so-called" seems appropriate because there never has been a definite acceptance the game truly is our nation's favorite pastime.

Other activities involving young people, or even adult citizens, could boast their particular game is more favored and with a much longer history.

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No quicker said than done. A day or two later via phone I was greeted with a "Hey, Hubley." I braced myself for what was coming and asked, "What's up?"

"Well," the caller began, "I was reading about the seeming lack of interest among young people for baseball. I agree, but then I also wondered who- ver decided that baseball was America's favorite pastime."

Following a slight pause, he continued, "A few days later I read an interesting article in the Record describing the popularity of poker, particularly among the younger generation."

"Yes, I read and enjoyed that article myself, but what about it?" I asked.

Triumphantly, he countered, "Well doesn't that lead you to believe that poker should rightly be called America's pastime? After all, we have been playing poker long before baseball was started, and that included young people. I bet you even played poker as much if not more than you did baseball when you were young."

I could have taken exception to the personal reference, except for the fact it happened to be true. Actually, I was amused, recalling one of the lines in that Record article by Jennifer Vogelsong: "Bored high school kids played for quarters in their friends' basements."

It brought back memories of evenings at certain friends' homes to do homework during those Great Depression days of the early 1930s. There were a few variations. We didn't play in basements but in kitchens where parents didn't bother us, assuming we were doing our homework. Nor did we play for quarters, rarely anything above a dime or nickel — even pennies when our allowances had been cut.

Our homework was poker. There were desperate occasions when we played for matchsticks, but we were learning about a subject more valuable in our future than could be found in those school books stacked unopened at the end of the kitchen table.

Some of us were involved in baseball but never had much success, never expected to reach the big leagues and didn't.

Poker was different, and it remains with most of us to this day. When I began working as a sports reporter at the old Gazette and Daily, predecessor to the Daily Record, I quickly realized my prior poker experience would be an asset.

As is the Record, the Gazette was a morning paper, which meant night work until press time around 1, 2, or even 3 o'clock in the morning. Where can you go at that hour to relax a bit?

Quickly, I was briefed — poker games on the fourth floor after work. My new fellow employees greeted me with glee — a greenhorn with fresh money. Then, as now, poker games were not legal in Pennsylvania, nor were they legal in the Gazette and Daily. We chanced it on many occasions but almost stretched our luck too far one night years later.

At that time the Gazette had changed to a tabloid, and its press was designed to print, fold and cut to the smaller-size tabloid. One early evening, when the press was being prepared for the night's run, it collapsed with a tremendous roar. Fortunately, no pressmen were injured, but printing the next day's paper was impossible.

Quickly, arrangements were made to print the Gazette on The York Dispatch press which, however, could not fold and cut the paper to tabloid size. When the full-size papers were printed at the Dispatch, they were trucked the two blocks to the Gazette.

Awaiting were pressmen and executives armed with butcher knives to slice the papers to tabloid size. Volunteers were sought from the editorial workers to help, but it was believed they all had left at their regular time.

Wrong. Those who could have helped were on the fourth floor playing poker, including myself. We even had a guard posted to warn against being discovered.

Yes, I could believe poker could well be our favorite pastime.

Source: Jim Hubley, York Daily Record