The bee., 1884-07-05
THE NATIONAL GAME,


SIFFEI. the new Athletic catcher. is the
smallest man behind the bat III the profession
FROM the official record it appears that the
Athletic club still retains pre-eInineIlce as
heavy hitting team
WHITNEY, the Boston league pitcher, one
day recently was fined SO by Manager Nor
Till, for refusing to 90 after MT
EVANS, of Cleveland, was recently fined
S25 by Umpire Van Court for ''back-talk," I"
and Brlshong was similarly treated
IT is quite coincidence that the Boston
and Philadelphia teams each have Manning
and Crowley in their ranks and they are In
no way related
THE Detroits have secured a new catcher
named David Beatle. He is a New Yorker,
is SIX feet high and weighs nearly 200 pounds
His practice has been confined to amateur
clubs.
The once almost invincible Chicagos, al
though made up at present OF the same ma
terial of which the club was composed In its
palmy days, Is no longer looked upon with
awe and fear by the other contestants In the
race, as they seem TO have lost their vitality
and are nothing more than an average league
team.
THE Louisville Courier-JouTndt says: The
story how Holbert the catcher of the Metr y
poiltans, first entered the professional ranks Is
thus told by Mr.. Charles f. Chase, who was one
of the directors of the famous Louisville nino
of 1877: Il went East with the club on their
first trip in 1871, and one day, while we were
In Philadelphia, we ran out into one OF the
mining towns in Pennsylvania to play
game with a club there. We had nobody
with US to umpire the game, and told the man
ager of the other club to select one. He said
he knew man who was somewhat OF ball
player, and he would get him to act. he ac-
a man
told us he would do. The man was one of the
most remarkable specimens ever saw. His
clothes were ragged and dirty, his face COW
cred with coal dust and his shaggy, brown
hair stuck out through the holes in his hat in
several places. Everything went all right un-
til the fourth inning. when Snyder, our
catcher, slipped and sprained his ankle. We
had no one to take his place, ard | turned to
Jack Chapman, who managed the nine and
said To him: Jack. You had better go i'll and
catch the rest of the game He replied that he
could not catch, and told him it didn't make
any difference, just so he stopped the balls, as the
game was of no consequence. =" While we
We're discussing the matter the umpire
sidled up to us and said: Let me
catch the rest of the game l looked at
him again, and commenced to laugh,
but Chapman remarked, Let him try,
then; it doesn't make any difference and
/ told him to go ahead. He borrowed Sny-
derS shoes, aud Deyhn commenced to pitch
him a few balls for practice. He let them go
easy for a while, and then sent them like
shot. but the miner clung on manfully. The
game was commenced again, and was never
more surprised iii my life. He finished the
remaining five innings without an error or a
passed ball and not a single man stole second
On him. When the game was finished asked
him his name, and he said it was Holbert |
wanted to know how much be made. and he
replied Sl.j0 day. / found on further cues
tioning that he would like to play for living
and engaged him on the spot. 1 gave him
money enough TO pay his expenses to Phila-
delphia, and he JOINED Us there next day He
aid he wanted 10 get a suit of clothes. and |
gave him 80. He went out. and when he re-
turned he had on the queareSt looking suit
ever saw. The color was very gaudy. and the
coat had stripes on it about as wide as nv
hand while the pants were cuIt like a song and
dance mans. and he had a tall plug hat. He
WAS 'guyed' numerically, but he took it
good-humnreily. and caught for us against
the Athletics the next day. and had not a
single error. and but one passed ball. That
Has his first championship game
The ninth week of the League champion
ship contest closed with tht Providence
nine III the van. the record OF thc different
clubs being as follows: