The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-06-26
BALL TEAM ON THE ROAD
!jWiNCiNG ROUND THE CIRCUIT WITH
a PROFESSIONAL NlNEs

Annoyahcea That Confront the Ball Toss
err DRAWN: for Berths ~ Peculiar
Class OF Mem Who Esteem it n Great
Privilege 10 Entertain the Players.
From the moment that the profess
sional ball player finishes a series OF
games on his home grounds until he
has completed the trip around the cir
cult that is provided by the league
schedule re is harassed by two fears.
The first anG Tie 81 eater is that he
may be allotted the upper berth In
sieeping-cars, and the second the
dread of losing his playing form by
lack of exercise
A third annoyance, Notwithstanding
the fact that the best of hotels are
provided for the players by the club
owners, is the occasional lack Of suf-
foient food. That is. these strong,
healthy ball players insist that they
do not always obtain what their ap-
retites demand And there is a rea=
son for their compllnt, although 1t
is not the owners fault.
1t is the sleeping car berth; how
ever, that is really the bare Of the
professional players existence. He
will endure alinos: anything in the
way of discomfort without complaint,
hut will grumble during the thou
sand and five hundred miles Of travel,
giumble and complain like 4 spoiled
child, if he is compelled to sleep, as
hc describes it, under the car roof
Very frequently when the ball clubs
rrake long jumps, like the trip from
New York to ST. Louis, special car
is furnished to the club. 1t IS given
exclusively to the players for the trip.
There they live, happy, laughing,
good-ratured crowd, until it is time to
retire on the first night out.
If there be a young player or two
young players on the team, woe to
them! They get the upper berths with
out any consideration. 1t is part of
their initiation into the business, and
proud indeed is the beginner the first
time he is allowed to draw for the
chance of lower berth. He knows
he is no longer considered novice.
In the craving, the manager OF the
team first reserves lower berth for
himself, another for the captain, one
for the business manager, if there be
GEE, and lower berths for as many
newspaper representatives as happen
to be travelling with the club. All the
ether sleeping-car tickets are put into
envelopes and sealed. Then the play
ers are permitted to draw, beginning
es a rule with tne man who has been
longest with the club
After the drawing has been made.
some of the players who are thrifty,
and who are willing to submit to i
room in the attic" now and then sell
their lower berths to companions,
who are ready to advance half dollar,
sometimes less, for the privilege OF
sleeping downstairs.
In some Of the clubs an arrangement
is in vogue whereby the pitchers are
given the lower berths. This is es-
pecially true of the teams where tn,
pitcher also happens to be the man
aser. He insists that good pitching
Is the most important part of he game,
and that the pitchers should be CIV
en- every opportunity to rest in order
that the team may be successful IN
its games ON the roaa The other play
ers, on the contrary, maintain that
the pitchers work only once In three
or four games, and have ample time to
recuperate.
The feud between the pitchers and
the other players of a professional
baseball nine is almost as old as the
game, and it has yet to be settled IN
{, manner satisfactory to both sides.
Long experience has taught the pro-
fcssional ball player how to take life
easy in travel Almost all of his jour-
neying is done in the hottest months
cf the year and very wisely in his
dress he adapts himself to prevailing
conditions. Loose shirts, low collars;
thin lounging coats and airy caps make
him the envy of men who swelter and
fume in apparel more dignifed but far
more distressing, when the dust is fy-
ing in clouds that threaten to suffo-
cate the passengers, and when heat
waves, radiating from embankments
and level stretches, undulate contln-
uously through the car
Dominoes are popular with the ball
r!ayers. 1t is easy 10 carry the box
of pieces around AMI there are always
candidates for the pastime. On some
teams two men who are fond OF crib
bage will begin on the very first trip
to play a series o.: games, aud will
rrolong It indefinitely. Two players
cs the Boston club orce played more
tlan two thousand games Of cribbage
in a season. The other members OF the
team insisted that this pair counted
fifteen two, fifteen four" in their
sleep.
There are stiff games at cards now
and then, but if it comes to the man
ayers ear that the stakes ere high
there IS sure to follow little private
hearing in the morning, at which the
rlayer IS cautioned Ect to repeat any
mere fve-dollar-llmit games
At the more important stations along
the railroad the small boy, by some
;Ituition that is all mis- own, invariably
manages 10 pick out not only lEe train
on which the ball players are travel
ling, but the car in which they ride
If, among the gaping urchins, there
happens to be one who, at some time
in his life, has been taken to the me-
tropolis and has seen a game OF real
league ball." it deyolyes upon him to
point out the celebrities to his more
uulearned companions.
There's Mathewsor." shouts a
tow headed, frec!llefaced lad, and in
a moment MatkeWsoI, the pitching
wonder Of the baseball world Tor
wear. is the centre of two score in