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Show y. M. a 1 SECRETARY j PLUS MIL GLOB Woulr) Have Major League Players Make Trip to Play for Sammies. Major league baseball for American soldiers sol-diers in Franco, with professional players from tho big circuits, is the big idea now dominating the thoughts of William J. Clarke, known as "Kill" Clarke, who had charge of Princeton's baseball trams for tho last ten years. Bill's absence from Old Nassau is recorded in the wails which emanate from TigertoNvn regarding Princeton's prospects on tho diamond this year, hut Clarke has .bigger work to do now as a Y. M. C. A. athletic trainer with the American expedition;' ry f rees In France. And Bill is as enthusiastic and forceful as a trainer serving under the Red Triangle as he was when he developed devel-oped 'I'iger baseball teams and before that when he was a catcher on the champion cham-pion Baltimore Orioles, which included John J. McGraw, Hughey Jennings, Willie Wil-lie Keeler and the rest. "I resigned mv position at Princeton university," writes Bill from Franco, "in response to a call issued by the Y. M. C. A. for men to act as athletic directors in overseas work with the American troops. I was consumed with a desire to do something. Anything to help out in the great work that is being carried on over here." Would Have Twenty-four Men, Having done about everything. Bill has conceived a plan for the sending of two baseball teams of major league players to play exhibition games at the rest centers and camps behind the lines. "Jn brief," he explains, "my Idea Is that each major league club donate a player, which would make sixteen men, their salaries to be paid by an equal contribution contri-bution from each club; the International league to donate four players under the same conditions and tho American association asso-ciation likewise. That would make twenty-four players, allowing three pitchers pitch-ers and two catchers for each club. That would he sufficient, as they would not be scheduled dully. ''The players would pay half their traveling and hotel expenses, the Y. M. C. A. the other. I am confident, knowing know-ing baseball players as I do, that they would be glad of the opportunity to come. It would be wyonderful help to the men who are over here to sacrifice, if need be, their lives that democracy may live. I am sure it would appeal to all patriotic patri-otic Americans, and would be a great advertisement ad-vertisement for the national game." Reports from overseas that Y. M. C. A. secretaries are real jacks of all trades are verified amply by Bill. He says all kinds of jobs fall to the lot of the hut secretaries, and it is a fortunate man who has the all-around ability to cope with the situations as they present themselves. them-selves. Although specializing in physical training, BUI has found the pace considerably consid-erably faster than in his previous work. "Quite a contrast between the hours of labor here and the three or four hours a day I spent as coach at Princeton." Bill H adds, without a trace of mourning. "I have been very' much occupied in constructing con-structing a large athletic field on an old aviation ground. I will have six regulation reg-ulation size ball grounds, soccer and football foot-ball ground and track. Talks With Arms. "I have superintended the renovating of a large casino, which will be used as a club by our troops during their leave period. Owing to the place not being occupied oc-cupied for ten years or more it was in a deplorable state. I was - compelled to clean it from top to bottom, and I experienced ex-perienced great difficulty in securing help, but I managed after some delay to secure se-cure the help of a dozen French women and then, by great physical effort, such as waving of the arm.3, sliding around the floors, in fact, going through all the warming-up exercises known to man, my arms and hands playing the chief role, I succeeded in conveying to them what I wanted, after that battle which tired me physically, but left me in command of a few French expressions." In addition to superintending Jobs of paper hanging, painting and the Installation Installa-tion of a motion picture projection machine. ma-chine. Bill had found time up to the time of writing to construct two volleyball courts, handball courts, a dozen quoit grounds, basketball court and indoor baseball field. The difference In the game Bill has been playing and the one in which he is now engaged, he expresses as follows: "I have met a number of our men hero, and they are without exception a wonderful won-derful bunch of representative American youths. As they wrere the first I had seen from home, I choked up like a kid, a sensation I never experienced in all the years I played ball, and I was in the pinches a good many times, too." |