St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-17

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game enjoy my dinner and am not par
ticular about what is placed before me-
scores OF players take money out of
their purses by inordinately pandering
to their appetites in midday or before
going on the ball field. A ball player
who will not subordinate his appetite
to his profession will get out of the
game years before he has good reasons
to do it."
"And your training? How do you
manage to keep in condition during the
winter?"
"Oh, don't keep in condition then. I
grow heavy. My playing weight aver
ages about 21O pounds. During the win
ter gain probably twenty-five pounds.
Thls winter may be an exception. It
surely will if my public work on the
stage is as trying as my work of re-
hearsal has been, for I am now, a
month or more after the end of the
playing season, ten pounds lighter than
L was at the end of September. This
actor business beats handbau as a.
trimmer Of flesh.
"Handball is one of the best medi-
ums to keep a base ball player in con-
dltion during the off season. I play it
a great deal. Then I am an inveterate
billiard player, and hunt considerably
In the cunning season.
What do you think of base ball as
II is now played compared with what
1t has been in the past?''
scientifically the game has improved
steadily until it seems as if it is nearer
perfection today than it has ever been.
Inc rules of playing have been bettered
season after season until it almost
seems that no defects remain in the
code. You see, experience has at least
In this case been a great teacher. lam
inclined to think the time has come to
let the rules rest awhile. There is now
danger that an itching desire to tinker
WIN them might start a retrograde
movement"
How do the players of the present
compare with those of the past?"
I'VE have more good players now
than we used to have. I mean that the
general standard is higher, much high
er. There is larger field for develop
ment. Clubs and minor leagues flour
ish all over the country until no young
man with base ball talent need remain
In the background. Just as the gen.
eral education of people is better in
the east, where school privileges are
in easy reach, than it is in the far
west, so we have higher general STAN
dard of ball players now than we had
ten or twenty years ago. But when I
say that I wish to emphaticalIy add
that the stars of today do not compare
with the stars Of other days. We have
no more McCormicks, Williamsons.
Fergusons, Kellys, Ewings and Ross
Barneses. There is nothing on the
diamond now that approaches such men
in ability as all around players of
their positions, but there is more of
an equilibrium. In the years when
Williamson, Mccormick, Kelly and
that set were stars teams were strong
only in a few points and weak in many.
Now If a nine has one or two weak
points the defect is considered fatal
1t reminds us of the days OF Booth,
Forrest and other great dramatic stars
who were often surrounded by indif-
ferent actors as support. Now that
there are no Booths and FORESTS dra-
matte companies must be stronger as a
whole.
'I consider Rusia the greatest pitcher
by odds now in active service. But he
cannot be compared with Jim Nc
Cormick. In my estimation the latter
was the greatest pitcher that ever lived
Williamson as an all around player
never had an equal and maybe never
will have. Mike Kelly was the prince of
base runners. I've never seen a man
equal him in that line, and he could
get away with more sharp tricks than
any man who ever wore a base ball
uniform. We have no such second
basemen 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 or guyed while at play after
all your years of experience as play
er, captain?"
"Well, sir, a man never grows I'M
pervious to the pleasures of praise, and
1 like the flattery of base ball crowds
as well as 1 did twenty years ago. 1t
is no use to say that I am indifferent
to abuse or guying, though 1 don't
mind it so much as when was young
er Mind, I say younger, not young,
and 1 want to be correctly quoted on
that word. I get more guying in Chi
cago than elsewhere. If I have
winning team, they think 1t is no more
than I owe them, but when we are
losing, THAT is the time they do not
spare their jeers and abuse. I've had
so much Of THAT sort Of thing that I'm
a little callous over it. But 1t worries
me because of the bad effect 1t has ON
my younger players. While the guy
ing is aimed at me 1t hurts my Colts
particularly, for they take 1t to heart
more than do. because they have not
had my experience with the fickleness
of base ball rooters."
Anson's theatrical contract expressly
stipulates that 1t shall in nowise inter-
fere with his duties as manager and
player of the Chicago Base Ball club.
Next spring he will lay aside the bus
kin and once more take up the bat. He
win at the same time begin his twenty
first year Of unbroken service in the