Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1918 — NEXT WORLD SERIES WILL BE IN FRANCE [ARTICLE]

NEXT WORLD SERIES WILL BE IN FRANCE

Organizer John T. Powers lr Sponsor for Bald Statement Has Well-Detailed Intention of Grl<L ironing That Fair Land With Leagues of Gradually Increasing Importance. Organized baseball Is not, killed; It merely is transferred to “somewhere in France” for the duration of .the war. 1 Such is the expressed opinion ot John Thomas Powers, organizer and first president of the late Federal league, who is going to France with the well-detailed intention of gridironing that fair land with baseball leagues of gradually increasing importance, from the sand lot teams which practice in No Man’s Land up to the real big league champions, which will settle the supremacy on diamonds In the south of France next winter. “The next world’s championship baseball series will be decided ‘somewhere in France,”’ says Powers, while he does not go so far as to predict the exact leagues which* will clash in this classic so far from its native heath, he concedes it may lie between the Y. M. C. A. league leader and theK. of C. league topliner. Inasmuch a» he has a long record of organizing: baseball leagues, from interchureh up to nation-wide organizations, Powers” prediction is well worth considering, particularly as he adds convincing facts. “My scheme is to have a league in every regiment,” explained “These can be organized by the Y. M. C. A. physical director and by elimination produce their champion teams. The regimental champions will have contests for the division championship and the division champions will fight for the corps championship. Eventually will come the series for the championship of the army, which will be the same as the world’s championship if baseball is shut down in this country. All the best young players affected by* the war department ruling will be in the army. “With all the best talent there and good new talent coming to the surface we ought to have some games. This carrying real baseball to the soldier® isn’t just a time-killer, but a necessary measure to keep up the morale of our boys over there.”