The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-04
BY TIN MURN>tAN

crowd knew they were in for good
clean sport.
... League Hurt Them.
The players league was splendid
thing financially for these members Of
the profession, but was poison to their
work on the ball field. Clarkson swore
to be loyal to the players, who were
breaking away from slavery, but quit
when the Boston club offered him
three-years' contract with bonus OF
$4,000 for his signature.
"Buck" Ewing resisted the tempter.
Mike Kelley was delighted with the
glory the new move gave him, and Tim
Keefe saw fortune in a sporting goods
store, run in connection with his ball
playing.
Poor Kelley died about nine years
ago, broke and discouraged, and he lies
In the Elks lot at Mount Hope, in Bos-
ton. John Clarkson is now the inmate
of an insane asylum in Michigan. Tim
Keefe is living with an older brother in
| Cambridge, never witnessing a bal
game, and leading moody existence in
sight of the fields where he first learned
| the game. And now our old friend
"Buck' Ewing is said to be very
sick man at his home in Cincinnati.
No well-posted baseball man could
pick the greatest team that ever lived
and have any but William Ewing az the
catcher. Ewing was a remarkable
base runner, great batsman, grand
thrower. a graceful backstop and as
cunning as a fox when working the
| batsman. He was a perfect athlete and
was always in the pink of condition.
He had a graceful style at the plate,
and could bunt and place the ball. He
could play a remarkable in or outfeld
position. and had the nerve to face the
toughest propositions with smile. Yes,
that was "Buck' sure enough. He
rounded out sixteen years as profess
sional player in the major leagues with
general batting average Of 1902, and
averaged about eighteen games each
season behind the bat. Ten times he
hit better than 800 for the season, and
was among the first half dozen batsmen
nearly half the time.
Work at Cincinnati.
As manager for Cincinnati he was
? signal success. but was not appre-
ciated and no one has done as well for
3 Cincinnati since. Ewing was well liked
by his fellow players, but had little
d use for the general run Of magnates,
4 who, he too well knew, were often med
0 ding with business they knew little
about.
During the worlds series I thought
b of Ewing several times, for the games
r were played on the grounds built for
II the brotherhood club in 1890. There
was Bresnahan catching for the giants,
e and while the young fellow made
y great fuss, he was no more to be COM
z pared to Chuck Ewing than a glass
n is to diamonds, and yet look on the
l. New York catcher as very valuable
Q PLAYER, simply because he can run q
o base. "Buck' Ewing, like Adrian An
u son, was national character in base
bali, and should never have turned
down the game at time when, by
taking chance, they could have made
. fortunes as Charley Comiskey and other
- old heady players did later on.
- Ewing, however, was careful OF his
~ baseball earnings. I am told, and wants
- for nothing but good health once more
~ Referring to the polo grounds, l am
~ reminded that Umpire "Hank" o'Day
was doing pretty good work for the
- giants as a box artist on the old and
# new polo grounds before and during
10 the players league season. Hank
IA was in evidence during the big series
IF umpiring great ball.
In In fact, O'Day has fewer of day
II than any umpire that I know OF. um
to piring now in the big leagues Is LOAF
ing compared to what it was dozei
a years or less ago, and think the worl
Ia of the indicator men is much improved
All as most of the men now have beer
he trained in the minor leagues, and go q
be the ladder much as the players de-