Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-30
HANS WAGNER
MODEST PLAYER
THE PITTSBURe IDOL HAS NO
SWELL HEAD
Is the Model Of Successful Diamond
Artist and Discipline Never
Comes His
Way

Baseball fans throughout the country
nave for years looked tIpon Hans Wao-
ner. the shortstop of the Pittsburr ci,,b
as one of the most brilliant exponenfs
oihe VI the national pastime the sport has
ever known. They have become accuss
TONED to seeing him make sensationa1
pays In The field and keen is the disar,-
pointment when the bulky German faiIa
70 make one or two long hits In the
game. ' ~ INC
Notwithstanding the fact that fans
ana bugs everywhere idollze Wagner
and never tire OF talking about his Won
derful ability as a player, It is doubt
ful If any man is more thorourhIv ME.
Understood. Being a star, people have
associated Wagner with the swell head
class, have looked upon him as a player
nard 70 manage, while the impression
prevails generally that the great ana
only Hans, being German born and
Dred, must of necessity usually con-
sumo the output of two or there brew.
| cries.
On the recent exhibition trip OF the
Plrates through Arkansas. Tennessee
Indiana and Illinois, 1t was greatly
amusing to hear the comments Of the
fans of the towns visited when dis
cussing Wagner
There's the great Hans Wagner. the
champion player of the world" would
be the comment of many as the Pirates
/ took the field.
would be the reply of the fan-usuaIiy
of the class which wants every one to
believe that they know the habits of
every player in the land-"he is a great
player, all right, but is a hard man to
| handle.
why, If he does not get everything
his own way he sulks, and Clarke has
an awful time keeping him with the
team, and two or three times he has de-
| serted just when the Pirates had inn
portant games to play.
And then, too, he conusmes SO much
beer every night that he is seldom in
the best physical condition. That's the
trouble with star bali players-they get
their heads swelled and want to be
handled with kid gloves all the time.''
| Here is little line on the real true
nature and life of the German, as given
| by Charley Powers. To begin with.
Hans is one of the most modest players
the National league has ever had en-
rolled in its ranks. Tell him he is a
great ball player and Hans will blush
| like a school girl. Lucky, you mean.'
| he is sure to reply. 81 have had luck
since becoming a professional-there
are lots of players just as good as am.
but things have broken badly with
! them"
Ordinarily baseball stars are afflicted
with enlargement of the think tank, but
| Wagner. the greatest star in the con-
stellation Is not SO afflicted. He makes
a point to take the best care of himself
at all times, and when the team report
ed last spring he was in condition to be-
gin playing at any moment.
Clarke never Is called upon to speak
! to Wagner regarding club rules. Hans
knows that he is expected to be in bed
not later than 1880 and six nights out
of seven will find him soundly snoozing
! before that hour. He is always ready
for practice, is punctual, always being
one of the first to report to Clarke at
| the morning session in the managers
room.
During the baseball season he never
tastes intoxicants of any kind. Hans
confines himself to a few glasses of beer
during the winter months.
! An incident which transpired in
Evansville will give the reader pretty
good idea of Wegner's makeup. When
the Pirates reached the park it was
/ raining hard and the diamond was q.
sea of mud. Clarke, after inspecting
| the ground turned to his players and
remarked thatshe did not feel like taxi
| ing chances on such a slippery field.
Jaw, we can play on that diamond
all right, Capt. blurted Wagner
! 'tThese people want to see us line up
against the local team, and 1t won't
| hurt us bit to founder aro-nd in the
mud If it will give them any enjoy
ment We have played on muddier
! fields than that-let's be game and give
/ them the best exhibition we can"
Clarke looked at his star moment,
then replied: "All right, Dutch; If you
fellows can stand it / can" Then he
notified the local manager that his boys
would keep their appointment in spite
of the mud. However, the game wasn't
played, as the storm broke out afresh.
driving every one from the park. But
day would have shown the Wagnerian
spirit under similar circumstances?
One reason why people do not know
Hans Wagner better is because he is
hard to find after ball game, as he
usually retires to his room in the hotel
where the team is stopping, as he
! breads standing around the lobby fan
| ming" He shrinks from those who
I would make of him a hero, and when
J some one does occasionally, get close
| enough to shake hands and extend a
few warm words of praise, Wagner be-
comes confused and makes his escape
\ as soon as possible.
In a word, Hans Wagner not only is
the greatest ball player of the present
period, but he is without doubt the
most modest unassuming one the game
has ever produced.
Wagner has saved his money. He
owns four or five hoses in Carnegie, has
made good stock investments, and to-
day can sign his check for more than
$40 000