The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-06-20

Boston, Van Haltren and Davis of New
York, Jones of Brooklyn, Dclehanty and
Lajoio of Philadelphia. 1t is almost Il Ger
tainty that among these eight will come
the leader of batsmen for 1897. A great
many eyes are watching the daily record
made 10y Keller 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 batsman he 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. Keeler nay succeed in
placing the ball more frequently than any
of his follow professionals, but to do so at
will is an impossibility. Keller is not
hard hitter, but rather sure hittor-as
sure as one often finds them. A large per-
centago of his hits never go outside of the
diamond. His sprinting abilities from
the home plato to first base are unexcelled,
and it takes the quickest kind of fielding
to get "a slowly hit ball to that bag before
him. He is IN expert buntcr, and no one
can ever tell whether he wilG try to drop
the ball or hit it out. Therefore the OPP
posing inlicld is on tentcr hooks when
ever he goes to bat -==
ms man Koclcr, 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 III the
National league was so wretchcdly disap-
pointing that tho New Yorks released him
outright, and Brooklyn threw him in
with ii trade for "big Dan" jirouthers,
pretty much as a butcher throws mar
row bono into good customers basket as
a sort of full measure offering. The Bal
timOres found him such an Indifferent
fielder that he would have been bcnched
and maybe released had rot the crippling
of several of the regular players made it IL
necessity to keep him i'll right field till all
at once he began to shU~ rapid improve
ment. From that day the little fellow
ran rapidly into fame.
Keller is II living proof that it is not
necessary for a successful ball player to be
II man of stature ard Drawn. He is one
of tho smallest men playing ball, under
medium height-about feet 5-and
DOESN'T weigh more than $50 or 1875
pounds. In citizens dress this great
player looks like a kid, and he is IA
miliarly called "litt!e Willie" but his
habits are strictly correct and all the
faculties which are necessary in his pro
fession he nurses with tho utmost care
Arson insists that his Colts would do a
great deal better work if they would use
less tobacco, especially in the form of Gig
arettcs and cigars. He has been worried
with more "cigarette fiends'' among his
players than any other captain in the
League. Dahlen and IIangc 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 a cigarette.
Van Haltren of the New York team is
an inVetcrate 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 eye"
AS soon as he reduced his daily supply of
''the weed' his batting began to improve.
Arson was a lover Of cigars, but had to
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 country chew. 1t is not an uncom-
mon sight to See players taking nips from
their plugs while in n game, or to sec
one member Of nine borrowing "A chew
from more fortunate mate or "a member
of the opposition rs he goes afeld.
The rather startling announcement was
made recently that Bobby Matthews had
made application to National league
club for trial at pitching, putting in the
claim that he was as good as he was in
his palmiest days. 1t would look like a
joke were it not that neither Matthews
nor the club named put in denial.
1t is Il mootcd question whether Mat
thews would bo "a successful pitcher, even
| though be could put up the same game he
played in his prime. 1t was nearly a score
of years ago when Bobby was at his flood
tide of success, but with the eighties