Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-03
How the Major Base Ball
Leagues Are Recruited.
SCHOOL OF THE PLAYER
HOW GREAT STARS HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED.
Some Fallacies and Decisions of Man
Necessary on the Diamond.
Copyright, 1905, by Ted sullivan.) !,

Copyright, 1905, by Ted sullvan.),
The. evolution and expansion of the minor
leagues in the United States have been CO.
existent with the growth of the cities OF
the country. The senior base ball organi-
cation. KNOWN as the National League, was
organized in 1876. This single organization
gathered into its ranks every player IN the
country that had premier base ball skill.
The National League continued this way
for some years with no minor leagues to re-
cruit from, but had to rep,enish its ranks
from the raw mateurs whom it gathered
from the college campus and open lois.
This mode was indeed arduous and expen-
sive. Being a manager Of major leagues
an organizer Of minors, and club owner
thereof and again an agent of majors-has
given me experience in all the departments
of the machinery of the national sport.
The first minor league in the entire west
and northwest was organized in 1879, of
which the writer was one of the principal
promoters 1t was called the Northwest
ern,'' and it's membership inciudedz omar a'
Davenport, Iowa; Rockford, Ill, ana Du-
buQue Iowa. About the same utme, OF
after, there was another minor league Or
ganized in the east. The stars tnat were
developed in the northwestern Included the
great Charles Radbourne, who never had
an equal in the pitchers box, and whose
record in the Providence club champion
of the National League of "a, looms up
as a pitching feat Gin the number OF con-
secutive games pitched above the once-a-
week pitchers of today as the dome OF
the Capitol of the United States at Wash
ineton does above the one and two-story
buildings in It's background. The otner
stars of this league were Charles Comis-
key. present owner of the Chicago Ameri-
can League club, who was the greatest
nrst basemen in the history of base ball,
Bill Gleason, Jim Whitney, John McPhee,
ION Lotus and Jack Rowe. RaGbourne,
Comiskey, Gleason and Lotus We're play
ers that the writer gathered together and
developed in his Dubuque team. Whitney
came from Omaha, McPhee from Daven-
port and Jack Rowe from Rockford. Inc
two bright particular stars that We're de-
veloped in the eastern minor We're Ned
Hanlon, present manager of the Brooklyn
club, and Fred Dunlap, now deceaed
There wasn't much stability to the
minor leagues in those years. principally
on account of small populations and lacks
of good transportation to grounds. But
today the minor leagues of the country
are in a fiOurishing condition brought
about by better business methods, increased
population in cities, the electric system of
railways, and the desire of the younger
generations of America to witness outdoor
sports.
Preparatory School for Players.
The minor leagues of the country today
are training and preparatory schools for the
two major leagues No matter what the
mechanical speed of the young player Is,
he must have the base ball tuition of the
minors in the way Of experience-the same
as the scholar has to have the grammar and
high school tutoring before he enters the
university.
There is no business or pastime in life
that has the conflicting interests of profess
sional base ball. The young payer that en-
tiers any minor league at a small salary
has desire to develop his skill to enable
him to enter one of the two major leagues.
No matter what business it is, the youth
who has no ambition to advance himself in
life is no good to any one, and especially Is
this true of professional base ball The
minor league city that has developed this
young man hates to lose him; hence the
first conflicting interest, but the player has
to advance Glorious is the country whose
national game will give to its opponents as
much compensation for six months work
as 1t gives to it's statesmen, namely, the
United States senator, for one year, 5000.
Many a player gets this amount and some
of them more.
was never numbered with credit side, yet
there are gentlemen and appreciative fol-
lowers of the game who cannot give too
many thanks to the great guardians of the
sport who have brought Its standard up to
the present perfection. They have legis-
lated out every offensive feature of the
game. These gentlemen compose the pres
ent base ball commission known as the SUI
preYne court of base ball, Messrs. Hermann,
johnson and Pulliam.
Fallacies Of Managers.
The greatest fallacy and delusion of minor
league managers and patrons is their lack
of the knowledge of class" We know
there is class in everything. socially, polit-
ically and base ballically. In the history of
base ball there was never a minor league
star who jumped into the two majors and
became a major league star at once. Jim
Collins manager of the Boston American
League club. did not do it; he was shifted
from Boston to Louisville and back again
to Boston; Lajoie nor wagner did not 90
it, Lajoie went from Fall River to Phlla-
delphia and was placed on first base, and
an awkward one he was at that. He got all
his grace and finish in major league speed.
Hans Wagner was not even star In the
Paterson club of the old Atlantic League,
where he first played.
/ was amused this year to see certain
minor league owner, who had been east 10
see the post-season games between Phiia-
delphia and New York, proclaim to MS
patrons after his return that his Class A
league was as fast as the two majors.
This sophistry would be as illogical as II
he told them after witnessing the Nelson
Britt fight that Nelson was as good as
Jeffries. or, to be more concise and clear.
as If he stated that winner in trotting
class of $40 was as good a winner in a
2:05 class. But this is the false logic OF
many minor league owners.
True. the two major league are recruited
from the minors, but 1t is only an odd one
here and there who makes good. When 1t
is considered also that the major league
nowadays has to pay stiff price for the
release of good minor, and that the
minor also gets good salary, 1t is at
best an experiment with both major
leagues This year there are many aspi-
rants entering from the minors to the
ajors and hope it will beat the phrase.
There are many called, but few chosen
Virtue of Gameness.
In all my writings for years / have stated
that 80 per cent of the failures of young
men entering fast company came from
nervousness and a faint heart. I say this
as an encouragement to young players.
There is one young man who is to enter
major league company the coming year
who has the first requisite of a great player
1t is the life flavor and capstone of
his skill: 1t is a word that is often used
In base ball success, called gameness. This
young mans name Is Mike Mowry Of the
Cincinnati club. who played in Savannah
last season. At the end of his playing
schedule in the South Atlantic League Mr..
Hermann asked him to report to Cincinnati
and play in the fall games This he did, al