Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-23

AS you breathlessly watch some star
pitcher twist the ball over the plate. and
gleefuly behold the batsman fan the air.
and hear the ball fall "chug'' into the
catchers glove for the third consecutive
time and yell yourself hoarse as the teams
change places at the bat, did you ever stop
TO think what the eighteen men who are
working to give you an afternoons pleasure
and their fellows of the fraternity do when
the snow covers up the green swards of the
country's diamonds and base ball is only
memory? Did you ever stop to think what
becomes Of them? or are you like the aver
age Care-froe American. lauding its heroes
one second and not caring rap about them
the next?
You guess they hibernate between sea-
sons. living off the money earned in season?
Wrong. He is rare ball player who saves
up a penny for rainy day. let alone the
inevitable cold months. You guess the
earth mysteriously swallows them up and
disgorges them at the appointed time?
Wrong-dead wrong. The earth has not
done such a premeditated trick since the
days when the children of Israel were in
pilgrimage. You guess-you guess what?
Why. everything except the right thing,
and that is that the ball players pursue
their daily bread in as many ways almost
as there are ways of earning 1t.
But while statistics prove this true, the
average player prefers to engage in an oc-
Cupation between seasons which Will keep
him out in the open much as possible.
This is the philosophy of 1t: Fresh air.
and plenty of ii. is the best thing under the
sun to keep man in good condition. Out
door work prevents the muscles from be
coming flabby. natural consequence or
indoor life. And If a player takes fairly
good care of himself through the winter he
will not be compelled to go into rigorous
training when training time comes around.
Therefore. here's for the outdoor JOB, what
10 Low. hri n IL
client food to quiet an ever-present appetite
and perhaps fill the mouths of growing
family.
Rural Life Attracts Many.
So 1t comes about that by far the greater
number of the professionals of the various
leagues big and little. pass their winter
days in some of the many forms of outdoor
occupation; and while some of the stars
make barely enough to meet running eX-
penses, others. who are more diligent In
business succeed in amasing the shekels
with a rapidity almost equal to their money
earning powers when they are on the dia-
monds of the country.
Fred Clarke, manager of the Smoky city
team and his brother-in-law. Chick Fraser,
are far and away the base ball worlds
leading farmers They own jointly big
block of Kansas on which they raise stock,
and ii is no uncommon sight on winters
day to behold Fred. and Chick feeding the
cattle ministering to the needs of an
aing heifer with all the solicitude Of a
mother endeavoring to rid her child of the
collicky pains that are causing it to raise
its voice to high heaven.
Truth to tell, many ball tossers and catch
erS and chasars seem to be enamored of
farmers life, and cling tenaciouSly to the
good old Idea that his is the only independ-
ent existence, after all. Deacon Pn!lnpi, the
star pitcher of the Pittsburgs. tills the soil
up Wisconsin way. George StallingS, ma
Rger of the Buffalo team, runs cotton
plantation in Cracker land, and is up-to-
date on the boil weevil ginning reports.
market prices and what not connected with
the cotton industry. George WiltSe, one OF
the champion Giants twirers. boasts of a
chicken farm near his home town, SYRIA
cuse n Y, and what time he is not get
ting his broods over the gaps he is indus
triously chasing-ahem-fle over his chick
en- farm fences and throwing curved mis-
siles at hawks. weaZels and other living
things that would make impromptu meals
OF his feathered charges.
Then there is George Browne. right
fielder OF the champion Giants. who the
day the season ends HES him to sunny
Florida. where he winters among his to-
mato patches and gets fancy prices for the
fruits of his toll from the fashionable ho-
tells round about and the shippers north OF
southern delicacies.
Bowerman Runs Dairy.
The champion Giants also have another
farmer in the person of Catcher Bow
erman. whose IN Michigan support
a dairy, and whose milk, butter and eggs
are taken to market every morning by
the trolley road which runs by the catcher
farmers door. Naturally. Bowerman is
crank on electricity as applied to commerce.
One of the retired base ball players who