Show t HordE RUN BLAH BLAN DYING IN IN BOTH MAJOR CIRCUITS C I R C U I I S 1 Fournier Is New Surprise Surmise With Home Run Clouts Ruth Not Likely Likely to Shatter Record Made in 1923 Interest Declines r By Dr GEORGE GEORGD I 1111 Coi oi 01 N respondent of The rhe St Standau l E Copyright 1921 1 21 I bv by Iho Con Con- Consolidated Consolidated I Pre Press Association NEW YORK June Juno The 14 14 blah Is d ding Ing out cut There Ther is a perform perform- performance performance perform perform-anc I ance going on over In Brooklyn right now non tal which taking every overy- everything thing overy-thing thing Into consideration Is quite as as is anything that Babe Ruth ever did cUd Bet you cant can't even von gue guess who the per per- performer performer former per is Its It's the Brooklyn Nationals National's first base base- baseman man base man Fournier has accumulated 12 homers bomen so far this season eon lie Ho Is Istatt I leading tatt ln hIs h league lAn llA lIe TTA Is 1 only three thre behind Ruths Ruth's present rec- rec record rec record ord He Is doing b better than Ruth has done don su so early carly in past seasons And the remarkable able thing about It Is that nobody e eer er suspected that hid h even the makings ot of a In him let alone Ione a king Yet vou ou don t hear har of the th fans breaking down th the gates g tes to get In and see se hit one You Youdon Youdon Youdon don t see te kids with nith Fournier cd across the front of their baseball suits And you dont don't find name and e ex exploits tilling up half halt the th sport pages All of which goes gos to prove that Ruths Ruth's accession to the th throne of thron thrones s in was nas as just Justa a great big press agent plant and and one ono that cannot be twice PUBLICITY onu V I There never was nas anything that worked both ways nays and down doan the middle as Babe Ruths Ruth's hitting was Publicity was gath gath- gathered gath- gath gathered gathered I ered for tor the big outfielder with malice aforethought tor for the th shek shek- shekels shekels els it would bring In and even the most staid old spotting ting experts fell fell for It There Thero Is no Intent to discredit hat ahat Ruth did It was ass one on ot of the big things of b But Dut that does not alter the thu tact fact that the publicity he got out of home home- runs home runs made him ever evry thing from author to soldier Old folh folks een e came to blows blos blo s arguing arguin 0 over oer er the right of a 0 pitcher to give 1 e the Babe Dabo an Intentional walk alk There acre ere fist fights gal 01 e and In the orld s series there note el e great outbreaks of booing and baIting when Ruth l ass waa as passed I Men who should sho know the game bettel even oven took up the th cudgel for Ruth and Insisted that the rules I could be changed to prevent In- In in intentional walking of the big star H Ilk 0 Diy y the veteran umpire had a SL lot to d nith heading that Idea off Hank Is a man of ot few words but the tha few he used in reo re- reply re reply ply to a rule maker who men men- mentioned mentioned nen- nen the proposed rule said It all Who Tho In hell is to decide whether a base on balls Is gien ghen Intentionally asked 0 Da Day It If It Is the th umpire you better be lookIng up tip somebody to 10 take tahe my I Getting back to fh h he present Y I I records of the homel un artISts I Ruth has a good chance ott on pa- pa pa paper this per per this week end to break breah his pre ious homer record as liS he hal had on thi this date the v ear car ho I established th thi I ecord But he does docs not look as If It he ho were nero ere go- go goIng going go Ing to do it and hasn't looked that way since the season tal ted tedI I lie lle h his bitted b up around the time top lop topo of his league and h he gets IllS his I share hare of the lie pilfers rera in most of the I games game but buthe I Ito he has not the I center center swing sIng s Ing that he hid nd t to 0 years ago It Is doubtful if he Is them bent In lit the nose as he h I Idid did in 1923 1 23 At present speed peed ho he h would finish the th MA M Mon on on nith Ith about 36 3 Last year Ie he l e made H 41 lIe probably will not exceed e that figure bly the th Babes Babe's e eves ees eD are tailing failing to co as s they have In the past That might have re- re re resulted suIted from his attacks of ot flu fluOr fluOr fluOr Or perhaps the th same sam fl flu germs robbed him of some torn of his strength it Is he h Is not the DaDe Babe Bao of yore r rIA IA tAX SET MARK 1 S j certainly nih will 11 set sel a- a anew a new record for tor and may may- maybe maybe maybe be he h will set one on for tor the Na- Na National Na National tonal league But it its s is doubt doubt- doubtful doubtful ful If It he h nih will 11 reach Ruth Ruths stop topnotch top notch notch of ot 59 tf And even If it he did he would never become a s second Babe Dabe Ruth Ah no The press agents are seeking something new The blah bialt Is out |