The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-24
MICHAEL ]. KELLY.
w. l. Harris Letter Is About
This Extraordinary Player.
MAGNIFICENT EVEN IN DEFEAT.

He Was Born at Troy, y. Y.-He Never
Worked Very Hard Till He Found His
| Sphere on the Diamond, and Now He
Plays for a Living.
| The most prominent characteristic of
| Michael J. Kelly, the man whose name has
| been a bvvord among the baseball cranks
of the last decade, was aptly designated By
the Chicago wit, who Anus wrote of him,
the occasion being the defeat of the Boston
club on it's first visit to Chicago after
Kelly became menAsr Of, tie team:
Michael J. Kelly is magniicent-mGg
nifcent even in defeat. The fall of nium
could not abate the glory of Hector one
jot, and the mart9rdoIn sof Winkelreid
served simply to imrnortalize the patriotic
Switzcr's name, 80 Kelly rises Sphinx like
from the cinders of yesterday catastrophe,
disfgured mayhap, but undismayed and
eager, aye, rampant, for conquest"
The only" Mike cannot be downed more
than temporarily. There isn't another like
him in the baseball business. After ''Kel,"
as he is famiEerly known wherever base
bail is played, was made the mold was
broken. He is an original of originals.
Kelly was born Dec. 81, 1851, at Troy, n
Y, and never did anything like work so
far as any one knows until he began to
play ball. The exact date Of this event is
not known. "kel" himself SAYS. Il always
played ball" However, at 16 we have a
record Of him. He was then catcher for
the Haymakers of Paterson, n. J. In
1876 Kelly played with the Oiympics of
Paterson, and in 1S77-7S he went to Column
bus and played with the Buckeyes Of that
place. In 1879 he played with the Cincin-
natl League club In the winter of 1879 he
went TO California with the Cincinnati
Buffalo combination, and in 1880 signed
with Chicago. He remained with that
club until the spring Of 1887, when his re-
lease was sold to the Boston club for
$4,000 and he went TO that city, receiving
a salary of 81, 500. In 1879 "Kel' got SEQ
month, and his advance money when he
signed was so. When he signed with
Boston he drew $, $50 as advance salary.
A handsome, dashinE fellow is the only
Mike a brainv, intelligent player, who
plays with mis- brains as we'll as his body
His wit IS as quick as a fash, and he has
invented about half OF the tricks of the
game that are now in such general use.
One Of his most famous tricks is TO wait for
his base on balls, and tanJahze and worry
a pitcher and exhaust his strength and pa
thence by bunting" every good ball over
into foul ground. He is maryelously skill
full at it, and many a base 50 earned has
Melted a much needed run. Kelly was the
first player who became famous for cutting
third base, and he has always been the
most successful man in the business at
breaking the rules and escaping the conse-
qUenCes, both on and of the field.
II l. Il l,
nerve strung up to IFS highest tension.
Clutching his bat several inches from the
end of the handle TO give him quicker
command Of it, he keeps it nervously de-
scribing eccentric areas over his right
shoulder, with his feet we'll together, the
left a little in advance. From his unerring
accuracy in gauging pitchers delivery
all the craft dread him.
play BALI is ''Kel's' watchword, and
no matter where he may be standing his
var cry is sure TO be heard when the eau
ton is needed. Few better "all around"
players ever donned a uniform His bat
ting record does not show his true worth
as a batsman, because he always plays for
his side, but such Is it is il gives him in
twelve seasons play fourth position among
the veterans. In that time he has played
!, l55 games, been 4,ST times at bat and
made 1870 base hits, with an average Of
1913 In 1854 Kelly stood third in batting.
He was Nc. IS in 1888, and led the League
III 1856. His position was seventh in 1851
fourth in 1855, and twenty-fifth in 1889
Kelly Is a great run otter. and as base
stealer has few equals III the profession
when it comes to stealing bases where sue
cess means runs and victory. There are
men who steal more bases. but not over
two or three can touch the only" in an
emergency.
Kelly as a captain was not a success ~
1889. The main reason for this was that
he dissipated, and his example was not
conducive TO discipline. Had "Kel" kept
his own behavior up to The right standard
there * little doubt that has team would
have been champions in 1889 This year
Kelly has kept himself inCondition and has
kept his men in line. 1t looks now as if ha
ought TO win the Players League penuant.
helly's methods as a captain have been
changed Last year he was persuasive
ana his discipline was lax. This year he is
dictatorial and forciole. and yet withal
'jollys' his men when they do cood work.
This proves that Kelly has come to the
conclusion that Arson and Ewing succeed
10y enforcing their commands, and that the
IRON Manu-, even thouSn tact puts glove
on it, is the one patent factor in a success /
full captain. keilys new method Is GER
taiRly getting wonderful work out of his
team.
Kelly has written book called "Play
Ball"-aJ least hesuggested the ideas to his
friend, John J. DrohaG, who wrote them
up. n private lie Kelly Is his worst enc /
my, as he has a whole Souled, generous ma /
ture that has a tendency 60 keep him poor
Keliy's winter occupation Is assisting in
the management of a profitable saloon /
business in Nav York His partner is the /
former umpire, John Kelly. Kelly is very
popular with the public, and has a person |
ality that seldom fails TO enliveu any game /
IN whirh be participates.
". / HARRIS. /