The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-06
Hugh Fullerton Says Baseball
Is a Clean Sport.
Games Can Not Readily Be
Fixed.
GIVES SOME EXAMPLES
Vain Efforts of Managers to
Throw the Games.
Even This Is Now Very Seldom
Attempted.

Cincinnati. March every once in
a while. when leaving a ball orchard
after a game I hear some one say.
They amt on the square. It's all q
big fake. and the games are crooked, .
says Hugh Fullerton.
No baseball crank, and certainly no
well posted one, believes any such
thing. They know how impossible it
would be nowadays. to fake even one
game and escape discovery. There
are games that might be thrown on
one ball. but the men who run base
ball, and the players themselves, know
it is impossible to fix a baseball game
beforehand and get away with it.
The only real cry of dishonesty that
has been made in recent years was
made by James a. Hart regarding a
posl-season series in Chicago, and he
practically reiterated them last fall
after beating the White Stockings.
II any dishonest baseball has. been
piayed IN the big leagues during the
last dozen years the players knew
nothing of it. The dishonesty must
nave been among the magnates. 1t is
possible to fix a league pennant race
by hiking one umpire, and, indeed, in
one case there was grave suspicion
that a certain umpire decided two pen
nants unaided, but no proof ever wau
advanced.
Personally. think that baseball is
as far above suspicion as Caesars wire
ever dared to be- But there were days
the big days of gaInbling-w the
game was so crooked that 1t required
the master hand of Hulburt to save the
game from utter destruction.
In those days of crookedness. of
throwing games, Of gamblers debating
the victory every day and for the sea
son, there was man on the bail field
who rose supreme in his honesty above
ali the thieves and crooks. This r1an
was Joe Start, who was nesting with
a bunch Of crooks down at Providence
There were other honest men on the
| team, but the crooks were in control
and they run that club to suit them
selves. Start, although refusing to
touch a penny Of their dishonest money.
knew that they We're throwing games
and stroye to stop them. He never
would go in with theIn-even when they
were dividing thousands.
one day In Providence syndicate of
gamblers fixed game for Boston to
win from Providence and bet IS, 900 for
the players, in addition to what they
bet for themselves Start knew what
was coming off and pleaded with his
men to fight for victory. Three or four
players in each team were In on the
play. and, while trying to keep the
score close, they wanted Boston to hold
the game safe all the tirne-and take
no wide chances on the $1,000 they were
to get.
In the ninth inning the score was g
to in favor Of Boston. with two out
when, by some mishap, a base on balls
q hit and error on an easy bounder
filed the bases, with Start up. Dick
Hibhans. who was catching, pleaded
with Start not to hit, but old Joe gath
cred himself together and snOte the
ball a terrific lick driving It over the
left 1eld fence, sending home three
runs ahead of him and winning the
game.
There were a lot of sore gamblers and
ball players that evening.
One Of the raukest of taking ball
clubs was a team that represented TT.
Wayne Ind, along about 1885, Most of
the players were honest, but the owner
Of the club was a crooked gambler. who
thought he could reap a harvest by
having his team lose at the proper time.
His club was fair one and was play
ing winning baseball, when, at Indian
apolis one day the club owner bet a
large lot of money that his team would
lose.
Before the game started he told few
OF his players to throw the game. They
went on to the field wild with anger
and decided to win If 1t was possible.
Byron Clarke was pitching for FIT.
Wayne, and never during his major
league career did he pitch better ball.
Furious at being asked to throw the
game, he turned loose all his speed
and held the Indians helpless
In the middle of the game the club
owner frantic over the impending loss
of his big bets, called Clarke over TO
the grandstand and ordered him to lose.
Clarke responded by branding him as q
thief and a crook and went on and won
his game to 1. That night Clarke
and two other members of the team
/ were released.