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DONKEY BASEBALL DRAWS MONSTER CROWD

Originally published September 9, 1936 AMUSING INCIDENTS Virdenites and many hundreds of others from outside Virden now know all about donkey baseball.
135 - Donkey - September 9, 1936

Originally published September 9, 1936

AMUSING INCIDENTS

Virdenites and many hundreds of others from outside Virden now know all about donkey baseball. About 3,000 gathered around the playing field last Saturday night and were pleased or otherwise according to what they expected. If they went to see baseball they would sure be disappointed, but if they went to be amused by seeing so-called ball players bucked from the little donkeys or having the donkeys’ will prevail over the two-legged species, they would be repaid for their effort. The games were pretty much as advertised - a bunch of hilarious fun with very little baseball.

Four teams competed: Lenore, Hargrave, Reston and Virden. We do not know yet which team won. It don’t matter anyway. Frank Tunney was umpire in charge and did his part admirably. The announcer through the loud speaker system kept things moving and was a show in himself.

The donkeys intered into the spirit of the game in a quiet but determined manner. The mild looking faces of these little animals were in no way indicative of their ability to buck big husky men over their heads, or on occasion over the reverse end. They had every appearance of friendliness until the players wanted them to do something, then - well they just would not, and neither coaxing or anything else had any effect on them.

Donkey baseball is drawing crowds everywhere. Why it does beats us except for the novelty. Once seen is plenty for most people. It is a fad popularized by the promoter, who must be endowed with some of what the great showman, the late P.T. Barnum, had in large measure.

We would not have missed the show for anything - we had many good laughs, and laughs are good medicine, but we don’t care if we never see donkey baseball again.

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