The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-27

second place, and, second, the wonder
fully improved form of the New York
team since Joyce Joined it and was put
at It's head. The extraordinary work
OF h Giants dates from the Sth day
or August when Joyce took his place on
the nine and succeeded Gleason as
captain as well as Irwin in he capac-
lty of team manager. At that time
the team had played three and a half
months, with a percentage of about
400. Since that date it's work has been
above 700 per cent, and equal, if not
superior, to the mark which has nut
the pennant into the hands of he Bal
timores.
While the addition of Joyce and
Beckley to the New York team has
increased the individual strength of
the team, 1T has been Joyce's aggres-
slVe leadership which has set the Gil
ants into that victorious stride. Joyce
Is n of those base ball leaders who
never know when they are whipped so
long as the third mar in The ninth in
ming is not put out. He Is a leader Of
the Phil Sheridan stripe, and such
leaders always impart to their mon
much or their own spirit which means
victory whenever victory is nossihle
Many good teams have fallen low in
the race for want of a fighting lea1er
the Philadelphias have suffered f,cm
such a handicap for years. The Pitts
purgs need such a man to lead them
The Brooklyns furnish a still greater
example of a headless collection Of
GOOD players. Look at the teams which
Iead! Hanlon's is really the directing
hand OF the champions, and his policy
is carried out to the letter by Jennings
Kelly, McGraw and Robinson. What
Woulc the Cleveland team be without
the aggressive Tebeau? Take Arson
away from the Chicagos and the effect
would be pretty much the same as TO
deprive a ship of it's rudder. Ewing
stands for a great portion of the Gin
clnnatl success, and there. excepting
joyce. you have the first four teams
IN the league race. Had Joyce Joined
the New Yorks a month earlier there
Is hardly a doubt that he would hava
taken his team up among the RaItt-
more, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Chi
cage leaders. Thus 1 hold that the
right kind of leadership in base bali is
as sure to rise to the top as oil will
"otSA Sul1dCS.
Joyce is a ball player by nature Pa
ing a st. Louis boy, he learned to NAV
on its vacant lots, as did Tehea,i
B~reftenstein, O'Connor, Quinn and
others. In some way he. drifted r.
Iexas when the Texas league was first
organized. l think it was eft Fort
Worth, where he one day found him
self homeless, dirty, ragged and hun
cry. In this condition he appeared be-
Iore one OF the local merchants and
asked for work. The merchant looked
him over carefully and asked. What
can you do?" Can you guess What
the boys first answer was? We'll. /
can play ball" 1t happened that this
citizen was interested in the local club
and he took Joyce TO the ground that
afternoon. The latter said he was a
catcher, but the club needed a second
baseman temporarily, and he was put
In that position, where he proceeded to
surprise the spectators with remark
able stops and pick ups. Just look at
h luck of that fellowi' said Joe
Quinn to Gus Schmelz, who was at
h head of the visiting team. mo.
joe was Schmelz's reply, "it is not
luck, that boy is a natural ball PLAYER.
and some day he'll be heard from In
fast company"
Schmelz's judgment was good. His
prediction was verified. Today that
boy is the most conspicuous character
in baseball in the Union. His case
furnishes additional proof of the cor
rectness of the theory that opportunity
and the lack of it often bring out or
keep down the natural artists of the
ball and bal.
When the Louisville team In 1877
started a. on Its final trip of that
season, it had II games to play and
needed but one of the III to win the
National league pennant. 1t lost the
IL and thereby the championship. That
slump" led to the investigation which
revealed h crooked playing of DevIin.
Hall, Crane and Nichols. and resulted
In their permanent outlawry from pro-
fessional baseball. The Cincinnatis this
year vent East with second place al
most a certainty in their grasp and
duplicated that Louisville losing record
of IL straight defeats. Not since 1877
has any dishonest playing been even
suspected, but had 1t not been for. the
Temple cur series a very mischieveus
suspicion of those defeats might have
spread and taken@roof. But nobody
could advance a theory which would
explain why a eam would willingly
throw away a position which was
bound to net each player from $500 to
| $500 in two weeks time
r. AS q bare fact several of the Cincin-
natiJ players, considering their rights
to contest IN the Temple cup series
sure, grew too jubilent and flew from
the strict lines of team discipline.
1 Their folly produced just enough weak