Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-06

the end of tho season and put him under
 reservation. During the following winter
 or spring Hanlon of Baltimore wanted to
 get Brouthers release from the Brooklyns,
 and he offered Tredway in exchange. The
 Brooklyns needed a third baseman, and
 they came back with the proposition to ex-
 change Brouthers for Tredway and Shin
 d1e. Hanlon wanted Brouthcrs ''powerful-
 ly bad," as they say in Kentucky, but the
 idea of giving two men for ono was not in
 accordance with his ideas of commercial
 finesse, so he told Byrne that he must also
 have two players if he gave up two.
 MF. Byrne of Brooklyn at this juncture
 remembered Keeler. Billy was not an ele-
 ment in the Brooklyn prospectus for 1894,
 and the club had already made up its mind
 to release him. A happy idea entered
 Byrne's head. "We'll give you Keeler all
 so," said he. Hanlon had his other man,
 and that point being settled the transfer was made.
 Right in the start circumstances com
 pelled Hanlon to call upon the "boot" to
 take place on the Baltimore nine. He looked around and determined to put the
 boy ill right field, tho place where all questionable players arc tested. Tho result
 in Kcelcrs case was not promising at the start. Indeed Inc made such Il 'lncss of it'
 that after a few games he went to Hanlon, almost choking with emotion, and begged for his release. "I am out of my class in
 the big League" he said, land want to get back to tho class where I can hold up
 my end, and want to get there before I
 ruin my chances even in that company by
 0 bad record hcrc''
 Hanlon jollicd the boy along and re-
 fused to let him go. Keelcr begged and
 pleaded to no purpose, and Hanlon finally
 said to him: "You might as well under
 stand me, Billy. You are going to play
 that field right along every day even if you miss half the balls that come out your
 way. So the quicker you dismiss the idea
 that you can't play on this nino and get to
 work doing your best the better it will be for you and for the club" Keeler went
 back to his work despondently, but from
 that day his fielding improved. Confidence
 had been his lacking ingredient. As soon
 as be gained that he wont right up to the
 high place in the ranks to which he was fitted by nature. Before the season was
 half over Kcoler's fielding and batting were the talk of admiring thousands and his fame was established throughout the broad land. To Manager Hanlon he owes everything.
 Kecler is young, and his baseball future must be bright and long. His habits are good and his health of the best. He is not large man. Indeed his height is under the average. His face is rather thin, his complexion is dark, and his weight is but moderate.
 A strange phase of that Baltimore and Brooklyn swap is the fact that now, less than two years after it was made, the star of the exchange is retired from the profession and the man who was "thrown in' to fill out the trade stantts iat the head ! of the batsmen in America.
 More college pitchers are entering the professional ranks. Sexton of the Brown | university nine has begun his professional work for tho Bostons, and McCreary of the GeorgctoWns is playing with the Louis villes. The last of them to join the Nation l al league ranks is Pond. Baltimore tries l him. He has a great record of striking out l batsmen in college games. It remains to be seen whether he can fool batsmen of the League as well. College batsmen, as a rule, are easily deceived by curves and will nip st nearly everything. Pond may | find his new task not such an easy one. | Should League players refuse to go after his curves he'll have to shoot them over. l Then it will be seen what caliber he pos ! SesseS.
 am told that Priest is also willing to I play professionally. If that be true there \ Is scarcely any doubt that he, too, will be ' q l fore August, for next to Carter, consld- | CT him the greatest of the present lot of | college pitchers. There has not been a week during the last two years in which | Carter could not have signed q contract at $S, 900 year to pitch for League club. I But the great Yale star did not even listen to the temptation.
 Boswell has failed and drops out oi
 League company. This trouble was a faint
 heart coupled with a disposition to lose his
 head. Opposing players quickly learned
 that he was easily made angry and could
 be "rattlod" handily. That settled Bos wells professional ambition, and the Uni | versity of Pennsylvania man took header
 Speaking of pitchers reminds me that
 the great McMahon Is making an effort tc | get back upon the diamond. July vii settle his destiny. A few games will do eide whether his arm has entirely recover
 ed or whether it is, to the great loss of tho
 game, completely gone. Another grea; pitcher about whom much uneasiness 1. | felt will also be restored to the profession | or permanently retired this month--name | ly, Meekin. It is hard to even entertain
 the suspicion that two such stars as Mo
 Mahon and Meekin are lost to tho profes
 sion. Their injuries, however, arc entirely different. MoMahon's s was a rupture O
 fragments in the arm; Meekin's was
 straining of the large nerve in the forearm
 Let us hope that both may be themselves
 before the season ends.