The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-23
NOT A STAR CAME
Crack Baseball Players Show
Hew Not to Play.
Weak Exhibition of the Nation
al Game.
THE CROWD WASLARGE
People at Least Got to See the
Stars.
Game Was Full of Errors and
Misplays.
THE CROWD WASLARGF

I
nings and he was given every oppor-
tunity but failed to gather in his share
of applause.
Cooley, and the rest of the National
and American league players attracted
the largest crowd to the Washburn field
that has been there for a baseball game
in years. There were ], 600 people on the
ground. The enthusiasts who read ali
summer about the players and kept tab
on their record. know their nick names
and their batting averages as we'll as
they do the multiplication table, were
on hand to see the Nationals win from
the Americans by the score of IA to 6.
1t was smuggling match, with the odds
greatly in favor of the Nationals and
the errors numerous and we'll scattered.
Cooley got out in pretty good shape,
so far as errors weent. and only juggled
with the ball once. The ground was
rough, that was what was the matter.
At least $4,000 year ball players al
ways blame the ground for errors
whether they miss a grounder or throw
fifteen feet over first base, as Dexter
stand.
In the third inning the bases were
filed and Cooley came to the bat 1t
was rumored that the bags were all oc-
cupied per previous arrangement and
that Cooley was to be given a chance
to show what he could do. Cooley was
looked upon by the crowd much the
same as the far famed Casey" who
his shirt. Mercer did not seem to be in
the deal and he refused. to give any
thing but the best he had in the shop.
Joss, out in right field. who was found
to be the foghorn of the aggregation.
kept up a steady flow of tossing" Lou
Graham was umpiring and he was in
fear and trembling that he might do
Cooley an injustice
pitch ball, Mercer, pitch ball."
shouted Joss. 1t don't make any diff
ference if Cooley does live in Topeka
Soon Cooley picked out one and land
ed on it. 1t went over toward right
field with considerable speed Joss saw
he could not get it and he began to cry
foul before he knew where the marks
were on the fence. 1t was a foul.
Cooley struck at the ball and Graham
called it two strikes. Then the gentle
art of league baseball playing was
shown. The men in the field all com
menced to kick" They crowde
around Graham and started the regula-
ton major league hullabaloo. The con-
tentfon was that Cooley had knocked
two fouls and that the strike made him
three.
GIVE him four strikes" shouted Joss.
HE ought to get that many in his home
town"
Cooley got four strikes for Graham
stuck to the pamphlet form instructions
of How to Umpire and refused to
change his mind. Graham was f1ustra-
ted like the new boy at school speaking
his first piece and 1t is no wonder Ka-
hoe got off second about rod and
while the wrangling was going on Jones
caught him before he could get back.
Graham did not see it and called it safe.
Then the game went on and the best
Cooley could do was to get four balls
and gift at first.
During the other innings Cooley took
a base on balls, was thrown out at first
three times and made safe hit. He
accepted all the chances he had in the
field The players seemed to be de-
termined to cut short any chances Coo
ley might have of distinguishing him
self at home. s
The players on both teams put up the
game of ball that might be expected.
They were playing for the gate receipts
and the game lacked the dash and en-
thusiasm that would enter into a con-
test between the T. B. c. team and Wa
mega, and it might be said with all
truthfulness that so far as fielding went
the playing was no better than local
teams could do but where the profess
SIGNALS excelled was in their ability to
hit the ball. Mercer, for the Americans
goes by the inspiring game of Win"
/ Mercer but there was no such word as
win in the baseball lexicon which he
followed, for the Nationals pounded him
all over the lot from the first till the
| last and he saw two balls go sailing
over the left field fence. Donovan pitch
ed a much better game for the best
part of five innings but he, too, saw the
ball go over left field fence twice and
| Monte" Cross did it both times. San
dy'' Stahl. who is still remembered be-
cause he knocked the home run in the
last inning of the game in 1901 between
Washburn and K. L. when there were
three men on bases and won the game
for Washburn. watched the four home
runs and then went back and sat down
near the grand stand. The left field
fence was entirely too near the home
plate for the heavy, high salaried slug
gers.
There were enough errors for a
Wamego- w stmore1and-Wat series
of game. One scorer gave each team
eight errors. It was really surprising
that the cream Of ball players, should
make the same kind of errors as the
milk and water class Sullivan and
Coughlin both went after a high foul
and nobody got it. Mercer juggled a
hot one, Sullivan played tag with a
throw home, Jones threw home about
u sfeet short, Cross fumbled at second,
and so on. Coughlin went after a hot
grounder at third, and it bounced just
in front of him and struck him under
the eye, cutting cash in his cheek and
retiring him from tie game. Harley
went to third and TannehiH to left field.
The one play which gave evidence that
t1e player might be worth a good deal
per month was the one where Wee
Willie" Keller in right fi2ld gathered in
a fly after a good run and threw to first,
catching the runner off and doubling up.
/ The run that Keeler had to make was
for a pretty good distance, but the way
he threw to first without the loss of a
second was what brought him a round
of applause
If the kind of ball playing the stars
of the two teams put up yesterday is
worth from $500 to $1,000 year, then
Skinny Slusser ought to be able to
pitch $1,000 ball in the Texas league
and Billy Baxter and Tom Cave, for
Emerly of Washburn, could hold down
second base in the Southern league for
their board and washing and spending
money enough to keep them in chewing
90 81 - "a - :. 3.