San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-07-11
W. ", KELLER,

Boston, Van Haltren and Davis of New
York, Jones of Brooklyn, Delehanty and
Lajoie of Philadelphia. 1t is almost GER
tainty that among these eight will come
the leader of batsmen for 1897. A great
many eyes are watching the daily record
made by Keeler of the Baltimores, and it
is he that would probably be the favorite
If choice were made at this time.
Keller is the wonder of the baseball
world. AS scientific batsinan be has no
equal 1t is said that he can place the
ball in whatever field he likes, but that is
an absurd statement. No player ever lived
who could do it. Keller may succeed in
placing the ball more frequently than any
OF his fellow professionals, but to do so at
will Is an impossibility. Keller is not o
hard hitter, but rather sure hitter-as
sure as one often finds them. A large per-
centage of his hits never go outside Of the
diamond. His sprinting abilities from
the home plate to first base are unexcelled,
and 1t takes the quickest kind of fielding
to get a slowly hit bail to that bag before
him. He is an expert bunter, and no one
can ever tell whether he win try to drop
the ball or hit it out. Therefore the op-
posing infield is on tenter hooks when
ever he goes to bat.
This man Keller, as stated above, is the
wonder of the baseball world. His fielding
is almost If not quite as marvellous as his
batting. Yet his first experience in the
National league was SO wretcbedly disap-
pointing that the New Yorks released him
outright, and Brooklyn threw him in
with trade for "big Dan" Brouthers,
pretty much as butcher throws mar
row bone into a good customers basket as
a sort of full measure offering. The Bal
timores found him such an Indifferent
fielder that he would have been benched
and maybe released had not the crippling
of several of the regular players made it a
necessity to keep him in right field till all
at onco he began to show rapid improve
ment From that day the little fellow
ran rapidly into fame.
Keller is a living proof that it is not
necessary for successful ball player 30 be
man of stature and Drawn. He is one
of the smallest men playing ball, under
medium heigbt-about feet 5-and
doesn't weigh more than $50 or 1855
pounds. In citizens dress this great
player looks like "kid," and he is ia
military called "little Willie" but his
habits are strictly correct, and all the
fession he nurses with the utmost care.
Arson insists that his Colts would do
great deal better work IL they would use
less tobacco, especially in the form of dig
arettes and cigars. He has been worried
with more cigarette fends" among his
players than any other captain in the
League. Dahlen and LANCE are especially
offenders with that seductive little luxury.
One of his former players, Camp, would
wake at night while travelling and sit up
in his berth to smoke cigarette.
Van Haltren of the New York team is
an inveterate smoker out of season, but
he became convinced several years ago
that he couldn't keep up his average con-
sumption of cigars during the playing
season without injury to his batting ''eyc."
AS soon as he reduced his daily supply Of
"the weed his batting began to improve.
Arson was lover OF cigars, but had 20
quit smoking altogether some eight years
ago. 1t is curious fact that among all
the smokers in the profession one is sell
dom found using pipe. Probably more
than half of all the professional ball players
In the cS2ntry chew. 1t is not an uncom-
mon sight to see players taking nips from
their plugs while in a game, or TO sec
enc member OF nine borrowing a chew
from more fortunate mate or a member
of the opposition as he goes afleld.
The rather startling announcements was
made recently that Bobby Matthews had
made application to a National league
club for trial at pitching, putting In the
claim that he was as good as he was in
bis palmiest DAYS. 1t would look like a