Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-30

Kindly Light" in New Orleans hotel
when he was Joined by local clergyman.
who, upon learning that this was Dave"
Foltx. the famous ball player, had the eff
frontery to interrupt by asking him why
he did not play left field instead Of center.
Dave. being more gentle-minded than
Chesbro had the grace to explain. But he
shortly afterward left the room for q walk
In the rain rather than be subjected to any
more such annoyance
Every man who has played base ball as a
youth beams under the delusion that he
would have been a great professional Sc
rene and impertinent in this belief he as
sumes an intolerable attitude of patroniz-
ing criticism toward the men who are de-
voting every thought and motion of their
lives to the game 1t Is as excusable as for
q man who had once reduced a dislocatioa
of the thump to bestow advice and crtti-
cism on famous surgeon just after delft
cate operation. The professional. not IL
logically, resents this. He may have work.
ed ten years with all his mind concentrated
on the game, and yet Jim Jones. who play
ed third base for Bllville fifteen years ago.
has no hesitation in giving him condescend-
ing advice, or in telling him interminable
stories of how he, Jim. pitched the first
curve for the BillvilIe Actives in their game
against the Hopper's Junction club.
AS matter of fact. the game has arriv-
ed at such stage OF perfection that the
fans are critics rather than enthusiasts.
In every city on the 25-cent bleachers you
will see peaked-faced lads with a stub PEN
Gil JOttlnS uOWHseTTOTS Nus anu TuiiS oft
greasy paper. They know the batting and
fielding average of every professional. and
their estimation of the player depends on
that average A professional might as we'll
be numbered six as have name.
1 once believed differently, but now agree
with Pop Arson that hero-worship in
base ball is practically dead. 1t is true
that Wagner. Lajoie, Waddell. Chesbro
and McGinnity are drawing cards. but
not in proportion with team of unknown
men who are playing championship ball.
This was not SO in the days when $4,000
Kelly made the bleachers roar at the very
sight of him the field, and when his
errors were condoned for the sake of his
individuality and for what he had done.
1t is the public rather than the players that
have changed Base ball has ceased to be
an entert ainment; 1t is a science. Although
the American public is sport-craZy, 1t
| takes it's sports more seriously.
l have seen boys from college, or a minor
league. or even from amateur team. Join
what call fast company'-that is 10
say. big league club-ingenuous, frank.
open-hearted and guieess. They would
rush to tell one the story of their life.
their joys, sorrows, ambitions-even their
love affairs.
hearted and guieless. They would rush to
tell one the story of their life, their joys.
sorrows ambitionsH even their love affairs.
After six months of press criticism and
experience with fans" they had acquired
such impenetrable shell of distrust that
they would confide no more about a game
than to say: well! Things broke bad,
didn't they?" or: 1T was good game to
win
AS a result of this extraordinary conser-
vatism. the ball players only outlet is on
the field. 1t is there alone that he gives
way to impulse. He appreciates that the
public demands enthusiasm, and / might
add, therefore, that a final explanation for
his eXcustveness is a certain knowledge
that, to display ginger the field. he
must keep away from people" and not
dissipate thoughts, hope and emotions. He
understands that the public loves enthus
asm in a President street-car horse.
To foster and keep this enthusiasm on tap,
he may only discuss his profession with
felfow-player.
The result is that the modern professional
ball player. though unable to show his per-
sonality in public. demonstrates it all the
more in private. He has a language of his
own-fl moral code-a habit of life. Going
to bed for him is to hit the hay" Dia-
monds-and every professional loves to fash
them-he calls ice" While skeptcal of
womanhood in general, he believes inn
plicitly in his wife, whom he places on an
eerie pedestal. and will resent with blow
the least insult to her. AS / said before,
he believes the whole world against him
and-he leads a lonely life.