The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-19
Goose Hill Boy Says He VIII
Not Play at Short
stop.
DONOVAN AFRAID OF BROWNS?
Pittsburg Players Quote Bob Wal
lace as Willing to Bet Cardi-
nal Captain Will Not En-
ter Ante-Season Series.

| Pittsburg'S champion baseball club. sal,
| to be the greatest aggregation Of hard-hit
ting. fast-running. sure-fielding and sap
headed baseball players ever assembled In
team. passed through St. Louis en- route t
/ its training grounds at Hot Springs yester
| day
Mr.. Dreyfuss. owner Of the club. gentle
| man who has acquired huge amount of alb
| surd information about players. their abi
| tty. etc. was in command. His manager
| and captain. Fred Clarke, a player without
| single physical weakness or mental merit
| was also along. looking wise and drawing
| his huge salary, dollar to every inhalation
Frederick the agile seems as intent on get
ting fit to steal third base with a runner
thereon again this season as he has dons
| many a season heretofore.
BURKE WILL NOT PLAY SHORT.
St. Louis's National League club had 1t:
interests involved. Jimmie Burke, the
Goose Hill player. whom Pittsburg recently
traded to st. Louis for Otto Kruger and a
huge chunk of money, was on hand. James
does not. want to come to St, Louis and
ploy shortstop as Frank Robson, Stanley
Robson. p. ]. Donovan. or whoever is man
aging the club. desires. They all want
Burke to play short
Jimmie says he cannot play short and
NoSS NV piOPosc 10 Indhe a nlrfay OF gOOQ
third basenaan trying to do so.
Il know / cannot play short and never
Will learn says Burke. II am not going to
try to accomplish the impossible"
Dreyfuss and NJ. 8. Robson worked on
Burke for long time They srrang al 1.-The
old ICONS" about trying maybe YOU
can" ''if you can't We will take care of
you. etc. Having gone to school to Jack
OConnor. Burke knows baseball wheat from
linguistic chaff. He would not be convinced.
GOOD judges CT such affairs hold with
Burke. They say he has been handed the
not end OF things by Mr. Donovan, or who
ever Is in charge Of the ST. Louis team.
pable third baseman of two years National
League experience, he Is shifted to short
StoT-a position he does not desire-while
third base. -
Men of sense and weight who take an in
tsrest in that boys sport. baseball, say
{nasi on seniority, age and displayed ability.
Brain.
GOOD JUDGES HOLD WITH BURKE.
Burke should be placed on third base"
said capable Judge, yesterday, land the
SSGi ra players given the chance to shoot at
all right. He is taken out of his position,
which is given to a Junior. and he is told
teur, for position which he feels he can
not play and does not want to play.
BurKe Is a man OF age and established
reputation. 1t is an insult to him to have
MS home position taken away and given to
minor Lacquer without trial. He should
at least get the position. and the amateur,
or minor Lacquer: have an opportunity to
ehat whoever has the sayso in such mat
tiers is giving Burke the worst of it.
He will be fool II he stands for such
cavalier treatment. As a National Lacquer
and the senior player he is entitled to more
courtesy. l am astonished that n man Of
Donovan's breeding and SAVIOR faire should
Burke is not so much of hitter. fielder or
base runner. He Is, however, a baseball
player. He knows the game. is aggressive.
the men on the life side of the Robson in
field. are both new to National League
ways. men and manners. They cannot as
sumo the direction Of the infield. Burke's
presence will add 30 per cent to the teams
strength, simply on what he knows-not
on what he does.
He has a ball players head on his Shout
ders and a mans heart in his bosom.
TIP HEDGEss TEAM TO WIN.
Though a National League club. the
Pittsburg players seem to think that the
Robisonites have not much of a chance to
beat Mr.: Hedses's club in their ante
'oh." said one of the Pirate kings. "if
the Robson regiment wins one in fifteen
games 1t Will be on fuke."
Others seemed to think that In selecting
the Mississippi Valley as q training ground
the Hedges horde made fatal mistake
TT has rained ninety Of the last 100 days
down there" said a player That il
rare spot for malaria. / see the McAleer
mob is not getting in much work, while the
Robson people are hard at 1t every day.
Condition will tell.
CLAIM DONOVAN IS AFRAID.
'.They are cocky overconfident lot those
fellows Of McAleers." said a third why,
when Bob Wallace was in Pittsburg last
month he offered to bet 500 even that Pat
Donovan would not have spunk enough to
take part in the series. They think that
Pat is too marrowless to play against them,
and say that he will skin out Of the series
some way"
Benjamin Stuart Muckenfuss, who COM
bines the Hebrew. the Gael and the Teuton
in his cognomen. was there to take up
arms for Donovan.
"Bosh." said B. Stuart with his most
grandiloauent laugh. Pat outclasses those
fellows in every way. Play? You can bet
on It There is no yellow in Pat
Just the same the baseball fellows now at
Baton Rouge say that they will not believe
that Donovan will go up against their guns
until they see him do It, "We'll make him
tell his right name" is the slogan of the
men of McAleer.