The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-24
JESSE BURKETT.

/ W@A9 pr0C1OOS lew VINO Won G00lT spurs.
or these may be mentioned Wallace of
| Cleveland, Miller of Cincinnati, Clarke,
| Holmes and Collins of Louisville, Ander-
son of Brooklyn, Dolan of Boston, Demont
| of Washington, Harry Davis of New York,
Ely and Cooley of st. Louis, Foreman Of
Pittsburg and Friend of Chicago. There
were not enough capable recruits turned
out to repair the weak spots in the League
mines. Hence the above named semicrip
| pies and age worn veterans keep in the
| game because they are more valuable, can
do better work, lame, halt and senile, than
most of the green, untamed and nerveless
!. students from the lower classes.
1t is not because the major managers do
not want young stars that the old cracked
ones continue to shine. A glance at the
experiments made by National league
clubs last year which failed will show that
there has been, as there is yet, an anxious
yearning for young players to relieve the
veterans whose days of usefulness are
drawing to a close. Baltimore released
Carey, Kissinger and Pond. Boston let
Wilson, Sexton, Warner and Stockda1e go.
Cincinnati found Spies and Hogriever too
light for its team. Louisville turned out
Luby, Borchers, Jantzen, Preston, Flaher
ty, Sweeney and half score of other fail
ures. New York chased Knauss, Bos-
well, Smith, Murphy and Butler. Pitts
burg had no constant use for Colcolough,
Jordan, Clingman and Cross. ST. Louis
parted with Flanagan, Mason, Irvine
ham, Hogan and Brown, while Washing
ton ran them through the mill in regular
grist from early spring till late in the au-
tumn.
The crop of new players this year is I'M
usually large in the start. Nearly every
League club has gone south with gross or
two of the article to test their abilities in
the land of sunshine, sand and early
freckles. We shall hear wondrous tales of
the doings of these youthful phenomenons
while at practice. On paper and at re-
hearsal most Of them will come along as
professional wonders; at least that is the
experience of every years training trials.
But when the championship season
opens and they face the real thing then
the actual test will come. Then it is that
weak hearts pull many below the League
level, and they draw back whence they
came. A few of these temporary failures
may come up again a year or two hence.
They are those who are called too soon. A
notable instance of'this class is Jesse Bur
kett, who is the champion batsman for
1895.
remember when Burkett played his
first National league engagement with
the New York team in 1890. He went to
the club as a pitcher; but failing there,
they put him into the outfeld, where he
created more amusement by his co1nicai
m1S6apS Cnan ne caused 6nGnuSlaSIn Dy
brilliancy of work. If there had not been
players famine that year, on account of
the Brotherhood war, he would not have
lasted a month as q member of the New
York team. When the consolidation came
in 1891, Jesse was cut adrift. He went
back to minor leagues and finished his
preparatory education. Three years ago
that wise young manager, Oliver Tebeau,
called Burkett back to the League and kept
him there till he landed the New York
cast off of 1890 at the top of the batting list
of 1895.
1t frequently occurs that manager gets
a young player in whom he sees great pos
sibilities for the future, but who is so far
undeveloped that no League club can afford
to play him in championship game. 1t
does no good to keep such a man on the
bench, where he has no opportunity to ma
ture, but on the con trary would retrograde.
There was no other recourse a few years
ago than to let the uncut diamond go back
to a minor league and run the risk of some
rival club getting him when he developed.
It was this dilemma which led to the
origin of the farming plan.
Soon after the February meeting of the
National league and the adoption of the
new national agreement, there was con-
siderable war talk among the minor class
es. A few insurgents went so far as to
call a meeting to issue ordinances of seces-
sion from the pluribus unum of associa-
tions and declare war, offensive and de-
fensive, against the parent body. The jim
goes of the diamond had their bristles
standing erect all along the line and sort
of Cuban situation was threatened in the
baseball provinces. Time, in ellopathic
doses of a few weeks, has somewhat allay-
ed the belligerent fever. Only one minor
league president is bold and brave enough
to declare his willingness to fight, bleed,
die ard be buried in the cause of emanci-
patioE from the tyranny of the National
league. This unconouarahl6 warrior Ia