The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-01

the fight the strain of excitement was so
great that he was refused rs n second by
his brother When Jim was defeated, Joe
cried as If his heart was broken, and In
stead of going TO Macon 10 join his team
he left with his brother for San francisco.
An eastern sporting editor reminded him
as he was taking the train for Frisco OF
his promise to report In Macon Immediate
ly Whereupon no replied why should
go there? | shall never play another game
of professional ball" His friends tried to
laugh him out of that determination, but
he replied: ''It Is not said without careful
cons.i yicn. They'd d run me off the dia
mon The fellows on the bleachers
wouldn't do II thing To me because am
the brother OF jim"
And no went To San Francisco. 1t IL
probable that he will not stick TO his prom.
ise TO retire. But his characteristic sum-
ming up Of the case is not exaggerated
He has anticipated what will surely occur.
When he pitched against the New Yorks
at the Polo grounds last September, his
brother Jim was a spectator in the grand
stand AS Joyce went to bat "bleacher
ite' yelled 80 loudly that all heard him
KNOCK hiin out, Scrappy! Fitz will do as
much for his brother. '
That was just foretaste Of what Is In
store for Joe If he tries TO play ball for the
Baltimores this year. Reminders OF Jim q
fall will he hurled mt him in all sorts OF
phrases The rootcrs will be awake nights
inventing a new tauDt to use when Joe
pitches Even tho players will work him
In undertones loud enough To reach his
ears The batsinan will mutter, Watch
me give that curve body blow under the
heart, or something of that kind sure to
make Joe lose his head.
His nature is of that excitable kind that
IL sure TO break down under such chatting,
and pitcher who can be "rattled" Is no
longer useful. There is but one way in
which he may escape that fate--to Use Kill
lens invention killep's one weakness Is
his hot temper and lack Of control of him
self 1t came to that pass a few years ago
| that coachers drove him out of the box by
| their taunts almost every time he entered
It One day he caused general surprise by
| going in and doing his work under cross
| fire of badinage from Tebeau and O'Con-
| nor (past graduates in the arD with all the
GOODNESS of a neryeless man. Greatly did
the Cleveland players marvel until they
saw him take something out of one ear as
he went i'm 10 the bench and listened 10
what Bcckley said to him. The truth sud
| Cleveland men. Killen went into. that
| game with both ears rammed full of cot
| ton, and pro tempore he was as deaf as q
| mute The cotton plan was used by killen
| constantly thereafter when he pitched
| against the teams which pestered him.
| Joe Corbett might try the cotton plan, but
even then the players would remind him
| by pantomimc Of Jims misfortune
Somebody has proposed N new contest
| for the end of the championship season.
believe il originated among the Cincinnati
| players in their practice camp at New Or
/ leans One of Ewing's men expressed the
! belief that the Minneapolis team Of 1896
champions Of the Western league, was
stronger than the Louisyilles, the National
| leagues tail ender." On this issue tho
| Cincinnati players were ncarly evenly di
vided. Finally some one of them suggest
| ell that series Of games each October be
tween the twelfth club in the National
| league race and tho champions Of the West
ern league Aould be very attractive. II
| certainly would be interesting from q
| professional standpoint, but would not pay
..spxpcnses The followers of the BOBBY team
| of the big League are never interested IN
October over any question Of It's superior
| ity to pything else In as much as IL Is su
perior To nothing in Its own association.
The recent rebellion OF Corcoran, Millel
and Clarke against terms offered by then
respective clubs begins to make the mag
mates more anxious than ever over the out
come In the Rusic case. The signs OF tn
times do not indicate that the big star
are devoted to tho reserve rule for th'
games sake, but rather because OF NJ
hitherto iron clutch. IL Rusie's reloas'
should be- ordered by the federal court a
Trenton and any National league clul
should then sign him, there would be
heavy uprising against the reserve ruiz
within a year IL Is hardly possible, how
ever. that final decision will I've reachec
In this ,Y,lsc celcbrc until late next fall
! Meanwhile it may never come TO Judg
mcnt in court The hest interests OF th'
game at large demand that it should no
without regard to which side would win.
As anticipated wonderful news come
from the t.aining grounds of every clu'
which has teams nj work. There Ism Z
according 90 preliminary accounts sen
! home, a poor PLAYER in the entire ousti