The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-19
WANTS MORE PAY.
Jesse Burkett Is in
No Hurry to Sign
For Next Year.
EXPECTS SUBSTANTIAL RAISE.
Does Not Like St. Louis
and May Play in
New League.
EXPECTS SUBSTANTIAL RAISE.

Jesse BuFkelL Oh the oI. LOUIS Nd
tional league ball team is home for
the winter Burkett has made no plans
for the winter nor for playing ball next
season. That he will play is certain,
but whether he will play with st. Louis
lis not so certain. Before he. came away
he was offered a contract to sign with
st. Louis for next season. but Burkett
told the management he would think it
over.
He does not like st. Louis nor does he
like the crowds there. He says the
crowds began to roast the players
when they first struck the town and did
not let up all season. Burkett is sore
at the treatment he got at the hands
of the crowds, and will not go back to
St Louis unless the management
makes it an object for him.
Burkett is under reserve by st. Louis,
and if he plays under the national
agreement, will have to obey the COM
mands of the management of that
team. But when that fact was men
toned to him yesterday, he smillingly
asked If The Spy man didn't think he
could get a chance with the new league.
OF course, if st. Louis comes down
properly, Burkett won't hesitate long.
He is in the business for what he can
>
an increase in figures over what he
drew the past season will have great
weight in making Burkett forget his
troubles with the st. Louis fans. For
a few hundred extra he will put up
with the kicking the fans did. With
out the extra money, Burkett will cause
the management considerable worry
before he let's it know what he will do.
Burkett is down to as light weight
as he would care to come He plainly
shows the effects of a long season.
With other players he thinks the sea-
son should be shortened, and doing so
would be of great benefit all around
The last few weeks of the season are
only so much extra work in which the
players are under a. severe strain.
The Worcester man is unquestionably
the best batsman of the league Ac-
cording to figures which have been pub
hShed, Delehanty of the Phillies leads
with Burkett second. The batting of
the latter Is not quite up to the 400
mark by the figures already published
Burkett said yesterday he doesn't know
what his batting average is or how
he stands in the race compared with
other men, but he is satisfied when the
official figures come out that he will
be over the 400 mark.
He regrets the lack of games toward
the close of the season. He says his
team had but two games scheduled in
the last 10 days, and it was on that ac-
count that he did not top the list. Had
the team been playing regularly at the
flag end of the season, Burkett Is con-
hdent that he would be in first place,
for he was hitting we'll. The work he
was doing would land him at the top
if he got enough of it,
Burkett was greatly handicapped by
an attack of malaria at the beginning
~ ff1A 1fA@ AH-r.A .-GA
touch of the trouble Burkett dropped
"a points in batting on account OF the
malaria. 1t isn't difficult to see that
he would head the list had he escaped
the Illness and batted in form through
out the season.
Whether he leads the league or not.
one thing is certain, and that is Bur
kett is the most scientific hitter of the
season. The difference in batting styIe
between him and Delehanty is as great
as can he imagined. The big Philadel-
phian slams the ball hard, trusting to
luck for safe drive. Burkett, on the
contrary, picks out the spot where he
wants to hit it, and sends it in that d.
rectiOn. He takes advantage of every
kind of play. Bunting enters largely
into his hitting, because he is a speedy
runner and on account of his left
handed position at the plate can get
a quick start. The third baseman who
throws HIM out hasn't any time to in
dulge in Gay dreams.
Burkett speaks in the highest terms
of Leach, who played with Worcester
for a short time the past season, and
afterwards went back to Louisville. He
says Leach is a wonder, the best man
who came into the league this season.
He says ball players of Leach's style
are the only kind who have any liceGse
trying TO get into the league now The
days Of an easy going player, who is
satisfied to take what comes his wsy.
and sit on the bench all the time he
is not at the bat, are over.
A hustling, scrappy player is the only
kind who has any business in the
league. He spoke of several we'll known
players in the league to illustrate that
idea, and then mentioned their oppos-
lite, dwelling particularly and with
emphasis on men who are known as
record players. Burkett couldn't find
enough words to show his lack of re-
spect for record players.
He thinks the st. Louis team would
have been up in the race if it had one
or two men to fill positions that are
weak What the positions were Bur-
kett refused to say, evidently prefer
ring not to give anybody chance 10
accuse him Of throwing the hammer at
his fellow players. He said however.
it was no use trying to disguise the fact
that the team was weak in certain spots
and the players knew it we'll
Burkett seems determined to keep the
base ball public guessing as to his plans
for next season. Not long since it wss
heralded throughout the country tina
Burkett would give up playing ball next
season. The statement was made on his
authority. Later the announcement was
made that Burkett had changed his
mind, and would play ball next season.
He would say nothing positive yester- |