The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-22

P. T. POWERS.
that sort of thing but I tell you that play
ing for your college and playing for so
much a month are two entirely different
things"
1t has been noticed in many of the
League games this year that the team
which has run or two ahead in the sew
enth inning seems to take things easy
while the players of the nine with fewer
runs seem too frequently to give up hope
and to finish the game in purely per-
functOry manner, as If their only object
in life was to get the game over as quick
" as possible and to get into their street
clothes. Here is at least one place where
a good word can be said of 'tScrappy'
joyce The leader of the one time Giants
at least tries to keep his men screwed up
to the fighting point until the last man
has been put out in the final inning.
'tScrappy'' was taught this by his old
mentor, John Montgomery Ward, and he
never forgot it. The last two years that
Ward played professionally and at the
same time managed the New York club
his team became famous for turning ap-
parent defeat into victory in the eighth or
ninth inning. This accounts possibly for
the manner in which the present New
York team rips out victory after they
seem to be hopelessly beaten. This may
be a tip to the other teams of the League.
If you want to be sure of beating out the
crew of ''Scrappatious, " you had better
keep playing ball right up to the time
that the umpire calls Camel" If you
don't think so, just ask Buck Ewing
about the last series between New York
and Cincinnati.
Many managers are lacking in this new
er say die policy, and it is not unusual
sight to see managers finding fault with
their players in the last few innings be-
cause some one did not do this or do that
at some particular point in the battle.
Better for themselves and their players if
they would do a little ''jollying" with the
hope of nerving the men up for a rally at
the eleventh hour of the battle. A nice
Jolly" judiciously placed will do more to
nerve up the average professional player
than anything we know of. Fault finding
certainly won't do it.
If the managers Of the League and
score or more of representative players
could have seen a game played in Lincoln
field, Providence, in 1891, they would be
better able more fully to appreciate the
above remarks. 1t was a game, the rub
Der between the Yale and Brown college
teams, and the result was responsible for
the birth of that terse expression which
has held to college athletics ever since,
g. Yale finish. " Sexton at that time was
the pitcher and captain of the Brown
team, and for eight innings he had held
the Yale batsmen at his mercy. Brown
more turn at bat and with the score to 2
in favor of Brown.
The first two Yale batsmen were easily
retired and the third man came up to the
plate and had two strikes called on him.
Then the Yale men gave it up and began
to pack their bats away in the bat bags
and several of them had climbed into their
bus. There was a momentary delay over
some decision, and by that time all the
Yale men were in the bus except the man
at bat. The next ball pitched came sail
ing squarely over the plate and that Yale
man hit it on the trade mark, and it land
ed against the left field fence. Then it was
a sight to see that Yale crew scamper out
of that buss and dig bats out of bat bags.
Men were on the coach lines yelling like
mad in an instant. That two base hit act
ed like magic on the entire team. The
fact that six runs were needed to win and
that two men were out was forgotten.
Those Yale men went up in turn and
cracked the curves of Sexton until that
clever pitcher was knocked out of the box
Yale's enthusiasm was too much for the
Brown team, ana that third man was new
er put out When Sexton retired, Wood
cock was called to the rescue, but he could
not stop that Yale rush, and six runs were
sent over the plate, and Yale won to z
college men talk about that game yet