The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-08-16
MICHAEL ]. KELLY.
w. I. Harris Letter Is About
This Extraordinary Player.
MAGNIFICENT EVEN IN DEFEAT,

MAGNIFICENT EVEN IN DEFEAT.
He Was Born Mt Troy, N. Y.-He Never
Worked Very Hard Till He Found His
Sphere ON tho Diamond, and Now He
Plays for a Living.
The most prominent characteristic of
Michael J. Kelly, the man whose name has
been u byword among the baseball cranks
Of the last decade, wa APPLY designated by
the Chicago wit, who thus wrote of him,
the occasion being the defeat of the Boston
| club on it's first visit to Chicago after
Kelly became Il member of the team:
"Michacl J. Kelly is notwithstanding
nificent even in defeat. The fall of Ilium
could not abate the glory Of Hector one
jot, and the martyrdom of Winkelreid
served simply to immortalize the patriotic
Switzcr's name, so Kelly rises Sphinx like
from the cfndcrs of yesterdays catastrophe,
lisfigured mayhap, but undismayed and
eager, aye, rampant, for conquest" :.
The "only'' Mike cannot bcdowned more
than temporarily. There sn'tanother like
him III the baseball business. After "tKel,"
as he is familiarity known wherever base
ball is played, was made the mold was
broken. lie 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. "Kcr' himself says II always
played ball" However, ut 16 we have q
record of him. Flo wa then a catcher for
the Haymakers of Paterson, n. j. In
1876 Kelly played with the Olympics of
Paterson, and in he went to Column
bus and played with the Buckeyes of that
place. In 1870 he played with the Cincin-
natl League club. In the winter Of 1870 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 $500. In 1879 excl" got $50 q
month, and his advance money when he
| signed was $50. When he signed with
Boston he drew 81, 900 as advance salary.
A handsome, dashinf fellow Is 1.-THE only
| Mike" u brainy, intelligent player, who
plays with his brains as we'll as his body.
His wit Is us quick as q flash, 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, aud tantalize and worry
a pitcher und exhaust his strength and pa
thence by bunting" every good ball over
into foul ground. Flo is ~marvelously skill
full ut it, and many a base so earned has
nettod q 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 OFF the field.
Kelly stands at the home plate with every
nerve strung up to it's highest tension.
Clutching his bat several inches from the
end Of the handle to give him u quicker
command Of 1t, 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 q pitchers delivery
all the craft dread him.
"Play bull' Is "Kel's" watchword, and
no matter where he may be standing his
war cry is sure to be heard when the eau
ton is needed. Few better ''ail around"
players ever donned q uniform. His bat
ting record does not show his true worth
rs a bstsman, because lie always plays for
his side, but such as 1t is it gives him in
twelve seasons play fourth position among
the veterans. In that time he has played
1,1S games, been 4,S77 times at bat and
made 1,570 base hits, with an average Of
.823. In 1884 Kelly stood third in batting.
| He was No. is In 1885, and led the League
in 1888. His position was seventh in 1887.
fourth in 1883, and twenty-ffth in 1859.
Kelly is a great run getter, and as a base
stealer has few equals In the profession
when it comes to stealing bases where sue
cess means uns 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 In
1889. The m1in reason for this was that
he d%issipatcd, and his example was not
conducive to discipline. Had excl" kept
his own behavior up to the right standard
there is little doubt that his team would
have been champions in 1880. This year
Kelly has kept himself incondition and has
kept his mon in line. It looks now as if he
ought to win the Players League pennant.
Kelly's methods as q captain have been
changed. Last year he was persuasive
and his discipline was lax. This year he is
dictatorial and forcible, and yet withal
"%jollys'' his men when they do good work.
This proves that Kelly has come to the
conclusion that Arson and Ewing succeed
by enforcing their commands, and that the
iron hand, even though tact puts a glove
on it, is the one patent factor in a success
full captain. Kelly's new method is GER
tainly getting wonderful work out Of his
team.
Kelly has written a book called "Play
Ball'-at least he suggested the ideas to his
friend, John j. Drohan. who wrote them
up. In private life Kelly is his worst enc
my, as he has a whole souled, generous ma
ture that has q tendency to keep him poor.
Kelly's winter occupation is assisting in
the management Of a profitable saloon
business in New York. His partner is the
former umpire, John Kelly. Kelly is very
popular with the public, and has q person
atty that seldom fails to enliven any game
In which he participates.
The Manhattan's Grounds.
The acquiring by the Manhattan Athletic