The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-12-29
JOHN |. SULLIVAN IS
A GREAT BALL
FAN
The Prize Fighter Knows
Good Game and as a Rooter
He is Fine.

good 10 hear John l.. Sullivan talk
Cincinnati Baseball club in the Wig
gins block recently and for two hours
was the sole tiilier with about every
baseball dignitary that could be dug
up IN and around town listening with
open mouths ami eating up every word
he said Baseball! Well. John l..
knows good deal about the fighting
game, but if that little confab was
criterion, ne Can discount the fight
game by about ae9 per cent. with
baseball story.
Mike Kelley. the great and only"
as John L. puts it. is still Sullivan's
baseball idol. He firmly believes that
Mike was the greatest all-around base
ball player that ever wore spikes. and
to hear him tel! it one would think the
same thing.
In the Bleachers.
"When 1 was making my home in
Boston" said Sullivan, Il never miss
ed game. No grand stands for mine.
Me to the bleachers. Why. if cut
loose this voice of mine in the grand
stand would have been charged with
murder in 30 seconds. No sir. Out on
the bleachers, where could tell them
what thought of them, and believe
that l knew them about as we'll as
the next man And Banny." contin-
ued Sullivan, speaking to Business
Manager Frank Bancroft. II think
that you. Buck Ewing and Tommy
Corcoran were in one of the proud
est moments of life. 1t was back while
Ewing was managing the Reds, his
first year, l think You boys came to
New York and | had a place up in
Forty-fifth street.
"You remember the day. We were
up at the far end of the bar, telling
each other what we thought of each
other, when !; little Italian looking
chap sauntered i'll at the head of a
bunch of dark skinned fellows.
"You remember what happened?"
And Banny finished the tale. The little
dark skinned fellow happened to be
the secretary OF the legation of some
South American republic, and the pres
ident of the republic was in town.
The little fellow came up to Sullivan
and said lis dees Mistair O'SullivanH
want to introduce you to our presi-
dent And John l.. Answered Bring
him round tomorrow; don't you see
I'm busy talking to some ball-playing
friends of mine?' And the delegation
from South America made a hasty
departure"
One Of Many.
That was only one of the many
little stories that the great ex-cham-
pion had on tap, and the most inter-
ested man in the bunch was President
August Hermann. "He stayed about
two hours" said Mr.. Hermann. "but
l could have listened to him for four
hours. l have seen Sullivan many
.times. but never heard him talk
baseball that way before"
Frank Bancroft got busy then with
a little story concerning the "big fell
low" He said: "Dc you know that
believe that Sullivan is the highest
priced bali player that was ever on the
diamond? l know a game in which
he received $1,000 to twirl. and
believe he won his game. It was in
Providence and back in 1886, when
you were the idol of all, John.
offered you half OF the gate receipts
to pitch a game ose afternoon, and,
while know you would have accepted
the offer had it been for nothing, yet
you went in the box. think you won,
but at any rate the gate receipts
amounted to $2,40O, and 1 turned 81 200
over to you, and think you gave
about half that much away to the
children on the way to the hotels"
That brought the conversation into
the charity channels, and John L.
closed up like trap. for he never
likes to talk about the good deeds that
he has done. Finally he made little
speech to Mr.. Hermann and the crowd
in which he said that he always liked
the Queen City ! hoped that it
could gather together a great hall
team next season.