The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-10
PROFESSIONALS DO NOT TRY TO
DRIVE AMATEURS FROM THE
RANKS
SIMPLY A CASE OF PASS
ING KICK ALONG
Beginners Who Possess Ability and
Courage Are Encouraged by the Sea-
soned SpangIc Wearers-College
Stars Are Not Excepted From the
Hazing Process.

Fanatics who are prone to blame
the professional ball player for his re-
fusal to hail with joy the advent of
every new recruit to the ranks of the
Spangle Wearers should hesitate. -
A ball player is but human. He re-
sembleS very much the man living near
the car lines. This man gets up early
in the morning and after a hasty re-
past sprintS for the car. Several 9TH
ers have worked this programme and
the car is crowded. The potorrnan
smiles a pleasant good morning but
forgetS to twist the crank and the ear
goes speeding by. The man who
sprinted in vain thinks things unfit
for publication in any paper that cir
cualtes outside the mining districts.
The morning following several of the
early birds forget to catch this car
and the man who on the morning pre-
VlouS compelled a rise in the nearby
heat indicators sees the car stop and
the gates open. He is offered a chance
to hang on with one hand and, a por-
ton of a toe and he is happy.
Three blocks farther down the line
is waiting another early riser, but the
conductor is already pinned down by
fat man who refuses to move off the
feet of the companys toll collector and
the car rolls by. The man who suf-
fered but the morning before chuckles
with almost fiendish glee as he looks
back and watches the Iert behind lips
muttering more work for the angel
bOokkeeperS.
The man hanging on to chance to
ride down town is but human.
So is the ball player
Players who are now able to fill in
the blank spaces of the contracts sign
ed by anxious magnates started once
upon time and had to go through the
mi for
enough to forget this all and try hard
to encourage the new conner, but the
others are like the man who chortles
when he. is lucky enough to see his
fellow man left behind.
Passing the Kick Along.
1t is a plain case of passing the kick
along. You have the big league, the
minor league, the bush" league, the
independent amateur team, where
players are paid salaries by enthusiasts
tic citizens, and last of all the straight
amateur team.
On the straight amateur team will
be discovered a yoTngster who is play
ing ahead of his team mates. The
manager of the independent amateur
team hears of this player and seeks
him out. He is offered a chance to
loaf around the corner grocery as
clerk during the week days. Clerking
SIX days and playing ball on the sew
enth he earns fair money
The fast youngster accepts the offer
and comes on to take up the clerk and
baseball work. The other players on
the team have been clerking and play
ing ball for one or two seasons on
ahead Of this and the new conner must
make good with these experienced ones
before he hears the welcome to- our,
ranks" shout
IT,
beautiful holes are kicked in his play
ing style. He boots a ball and a num-
Der of the old timers express surprise
at the great nerve displayed in the at.
tempt to break into fast" company
Several of the men in the indepen-
dent amateur team are faster than the
young man they have baited and the
chance to move up into the little league
made UP of towns of the state is Of
fered. They go up and they get exact
ly what they furnished the young man
who moved up from the plain anna
teur team.
1t is the same thing all the way to
the top. The little state league player
moves up to the minor league team and
the former big toad in the little puddle
becomes the small toad in the real pro-
fessional puddle and it is never fun for
the toad.
And the real professional Of the
minor league gets his when he goes
on up to the big league. If he has
nerve and can play while it lasts he
receives with interest all that he con-
tributed in the attempt to make the
life of the beginners in his league a
happy" one.
College Players Get 1t.
The college player is the real suf-
ferer of the entire collection. The col
Iege player who breaks into profess
sional ranks must be star must have
a plenty of nerve and must make good
in a hurry.
number of college players have
gone through it all and lived but many.
many other faint hearted students have
tried for a time and then back to books
and civilization.
Ball players are not vicious: thew
are simply human.
While the college player was listen
ing to the enthusiastic support of the
rah-rah boys the plain ball player was
working his way through the different
degrees. Having earned his place he
naturally wants the one coming after
to go through the mill. He knows that