The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-13

tAt lNAlttr1I tAA 'fAhf " az
proper time. During tho playing season |
seldom eat any lunch except II be "A bow
of bread and milk. On that l can play
ball. After / como homo from tho game l
enjoy my dinner and am not particular
about what Is placed before mo. Scores of
ball PLAYERS take money out Uf their purses
by Unfortunately pandcring 10 thcir appetitos
In midday o. before going on the ballheiG.
A ball plays- who Will not subordinate his
appetite TO his profession will get out Of
the gamc years before he has good reasons
10 10 it,
.And your training? How do you
manage 10 kcop in condition during the
winter
ooh. I don't keep in condition then. l
grow heavy. Ny playing weight averages
about 2iO pounds. During tho winter |
Rain probably % pounds. This winter
NAV DO an exception. 10 surely will If my
public work on the stage is rs trying as
my work of rehearsal has been, for | am
now, "A month or more after the end OF the
Playing season. ton pounds lighter thar
was at the end OF September. This actor
business beats handball as "A trimmer of
flesh.
"Handball Is one os tho best mediums
20 keep "a baseball play rin condition dur
ing tho off season. | play 10 u great deal.
Then | am an invetcsato billiard player,
and hunt considerably in tho cunning
season."
''What do you think Of baseball as IL is
now played compared with what IL has
been in tho pasiY' -
SYSTEMATICALLY tho ramo has improved
steadily until it seems Cs ii IL Is nearer
perfection toGny than IL has ever been.
The rules Of playing havo been bothered
season after season until it almost seems
that no defects ROMAN in the code. Yon
see. experience has ut least in this case been
a groat teacher. an inclined 90 think
tho time has como 10 let the rules rest
awhile. There is now danger that an
itching desire 70 tinker with them might
start "a r%ctrogrado movement"
"How do the players OF h opresent COM
pare with those Of the past?'
Two have moro good players now than
we used 90 have. Imean that the general
standard Is higher, much higher. There
il % larger field for development. Clubs
and minor leagues flourish all over tho
country until 10 young man with base
ball talent need remain In the back ground.
just rs tho general education Of people IL
better I'm tho east, where school privileges
are in easy reach, thai Is Is in tho far
west, SO We have "a higher general standard
Of ball players now han we had 10 or 20
years ago. But when | say that / wish 10
emphatically add that tho stars Of today
do not compare with the stars Of other
days. We have no moro McCormicks,
Williamsons, Fergusons, Kellys, Ewings
and Ross Barncses. There Is nothing on
tho diamond now that approaches such
men in ability las oil around players of
their positions, but there Is moro Of on
equilibrium. In tho years whom William
son, Mccormick, Kelly and that set were
stars teams were strong only in n few
points and weak In many. Now II q nine
has one OK two weak points the defect Is
considered fatal. IL reminds US OF tho
days of Booth, Forrest and other great
dramatic stars who were often surrounded
10y indifferent nctors as support. Now
that thore arc no Booths and FORESTS dra-
matte companies must be stronger rs "a
whole.
II consider Rusic the greatest pitcher by
odds now in active service But no can
not be compared with jim Mccormick. In
my estimation the lattor was tho greatest
pitcher that ever lived. Williamson as an
all around player never had an equal and
maybe never will have. Mike Kelly was
tho prince OF base runners. Ive never seen
q man equal him In that line, and ho could
get away with moro sharp tricks than any
man who ever wore a baseball uniform.
We have no such second base mon as were
Dunlap and Barnes. Why, the McPhees,
Reitzes, Loves and Childses do not class at
all with men like Barnes, Dunlap and
Farrell"
How do you feel when you are cheered
pr n,,vrd xuttla ne ptoy nftgr oil xrnttr yaapa
Of experience as q player, c%aptainY'
"Well, sir, 0 man, never grows impervi-
Gus TO the pleasures of praise, and ! like
the nattery of baseball crowds as we'll as 1
did 90 years ago. 1t Is no use to say that
i am Indifferent &c abuse or guying, though
l don't mind IL so much as when l was
younger. Mind 1 say younger, not young,
and 1 want 10 be correctly quoted on that
word. / get moro guying in Chicago than
elsewhere. IL I have a winning team, they
think II Is no moro than I owe them, but
when we are losing, that Is the time they
do not spare their joers and abuse. I've
had SO much Of that sort of thing that I'm
a little callous over IL. But IL worries me
because Of the bad effect IL has on my
younger players, While the guying Is
aimed at me 1t hurts my Colts particularly,
for they take IL 10 heart moro thar | do, be-
cause they have not had my experience
with the ncklcnoSs Of baseball rooters.
Anson's theatrical contract expressly
stipulates that II shall In nowise Interfere
with his duties as manager and player of
the Chicago Baseball club. Next spring
he will lay aside the huskin and once more
take up the bat. He will at the same time
begin his %twenty-ilrst year of unbroken
service in tho National league, a service
which no began when the picture that nc
companies this article was taken. He sat
for the photographer In the spring Of 1876
and sent the picture from which the ac-
c~ompanying cut was made to the young
lady, his ilancec, in Philadelphia, who is
now Mrs. Arson and the mother OF his
four children. They were lovers then who
could scarcely be parted. Ii was his de-
sire 60 be near her and her request that he
should not go away from Philadelphia
which caused him to offer the Chicago club
In the spring Of 1876 81, 900 TO release him,
not from u written contract, but from n
promise TO play In Chicago. The offer
was refused, and THU great ball PLAYER re-