Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-19
BASE BALL STARS
OF THE PAST
None on the Field Now Can
Compare With Them:
BY TED SULLIVAN.

My contemporary. lin MurHdue, spohe
of Buck Ewing last week as the greatest
all-round catcher Of any period of the
games history. I have to coincide with
my friend Tim on that one point when
nature makes a great man it destroys the
| molds.' This truism applies to men OF
brain as well as to men of physical skill.
There was only Shakespeare in dra-
matte literature one Michael Angelo in
sculpture, one Raphael In painting and
only one Napoleon Bonaparte in military
history Comparisons are odious, and they
are ten times more odcus in base ball. To
combat prejudice Of the times Is hard
task. People will claim that men of their
own times always the best, but writer
should always be broad and leave the val
leys of narrowness and prejudice behind
and climb to a lofty peak of dispassionate
judgment-so he can give credit to all Of
any period. Ball players. a class. do
not like to be contrasted unfavorably with
men who have preceded them, but people
will have their own opinions and the i'm
pressionS that the great stars of the ball
field OF the past have made on their MEM
ory are hard to be effaced
A man who has seen the snow-caD sum-
NIT OF Mt. Hood or Pixies Peak is not to
be satisfied at the sight of knoll an
unduiating prairie. The people who have
witnessed the flow of Niagara are not go
ing into ecstasy the falls of Mime
naha The theater-goers who have seen
the great Forrest. Booth, Mccullough, Bar
rett and CuShman can t BE thrilled by the
actors of the present day who try to SUBJ
stitute scenery and fancy costumes fer tai
ent. nor will veteran patrons of the game
accept the modern upholstery of the ball
field in the shape of pllowy gloves as
sample of superior skill over the players
of the past. Persons who have seen Bob
Ferguson. Ned Williamson, Jerry Denny
and other great third baseGlen of the past
step balls that were hit at them with rifle
shot speed-and handled them with
gloved hand-are not going to have a
SpaSm when they see d mattress or a door
rug stop the force of balls that are guided
only by a human hand. No. indeed; people
will set a standard on all things, and
whether they are right wrong they will
measure the newcomers by 1t.
The players that are to follow the pres
ent generation will also have to suffer the
same comparison those that preceded
them. While | may have overdrawn the
use of the glove on the ball field, l don't
want to be understood as disparaging the
wonderful skill of the three crack third
basemen of the present day, namely, Col
Inns, Bradley and CCughln. Collins in
proper shape, has the poetry of action
without~affectation. a rare quality In any
player.
Mr.. Murnane was correct In his estimate
of Ewing. but there were other catchers
of Ewing's time that have had no counter
parts since, namely, Bennett, Mike Kelly
Snyder, Flint and Gross Even Jack Boyle
of the old st. Louis Browns could dupli-
cate in skill the best catcher of today
as far as catching and throwing are con-
cerned. SO could Wilber Robinson Bres-
nahan of New York l would call the Ewing
of the present day catchers because he has
I. the requisites of general ball player out
side of catching, but he will never have
the caliber of the real Ewing Calber
counts In everything. Base ball people
term the word Class" When the physique
of Bennett Kelly. Snyder, Flint Ewing
and the game Deastey" looms up / am
sure minor and diminitive forms possessing
base ball skill are not going to startle us
Why? Because those men of the past set
a standard III base ball skill that we will
measure all others by. Then again the
stature and physique of the catchers of
the past have met our ideal of what ma jor
league catchers should be and II Is hard
10 combat that-'be 1t prejudice not.
ihere are few men who have left the
ball field who doubt will be ever dupli
Gated again In base ball flesh: that is in
their respective positions, namely: Mike
nelly, whose genius in a crucial contest
scared above his compeers as foam on
the crest of the highest wave; Ewing, the
best batting. throwing and base running
catcher that ever figured in the nations
sport. and who did not require a derrick
TO straishten him up before he got in
position to throw: and chas Comiskey
who made enc particular position on the
diamond called the Haven of Rest" first
base) the liveiiest and most dominant po-
sitlon of all while he played it, No two
men in the history of base ball had brains
that worked more alike when they were on
the bases than Kelly and Comiskey [
have seen the only KelF' throw a team
into confusion by sudden steal, which
came Unexpectedly, and | have seen Co.
mfskey In the great days of the Browns
by a deeper intuition of knowing what
effect a certain play would have on the
opposition, win many and many a game
by some daredevil work. Comiskeys
magnetism and dash We're the steam-up
OF his anatomy.
Chas. Radbourne never had a pitcher to
approach him in skill; he had any deIiv-
cry that the pitchers of today possess.
and he had more than they don't possess
Besides being a king of pitchers he was
batter, fielder and base runner: he al
ternated In the field with John Ward
while playing with Providence. To COM
pare this tireless. matchless and incom-
paraDle pitcher, who possessed in the
highest degree strength, stamina and
gameness, with the present day twirlers
would be like comparing a sturdy ana
mighty oak to pines and sapIings l re-
iterate it again that doubt IL Mike KEEL
ly, Ewing, Comiskey and Radbourne
Will ever have counterparts in base ball
They may be possibly duplicated In me-
chantcal speed but never In genius or
magnetism, and / think I can safely put
Hugh Jennings, shortstop of the old
Ealtimores, in that class.
On the other hand. l will say for the
present boys on the ball field that Keller
stands alone In all periods of the game
as the king right fielder. take him all In
all Lajoie outfits all the second base
men OF the past, but not In any other de-