The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-16

team. Id hate to say just how much
money the owners Of the club | work for
would be willing to pay to fetch together
one OF these ideal ball clubs that look 30 fine
on paper. The outlay they'd be eager TO
make would run away up In the six figures.
The owners OF any ball club know just
the men they need and want, but they also
know that they can't get these men for any
amount of money.
Turning it around. the owners OF a ball
club know just the men they don't want,
too. There are plenty of players who are
there with the goods When t comes to play
ing the game and who might be got. But
it doesn't take much scratching under the
surface to find that there's something
the matter with most OF these pretty good
ball players whose employers are willing
TO turn them loose for a piece Of money.
They're pretty liable TO be disorgani2ers.
%grouches, crabs, chronic kickers. fellows
who take the dark side of everything.
from the color OF the mattress of their Sleep
ing car bunk to the gold filling in the umpire's
teeth.
Just one man OF this kind on a ball club
will queer the outfit. He's there every hour
of the day with some kin of a knock. He
doesn't like the bus that takes the team
out to the park because it hasn't got rubber
tires; he doesn't like his hotel room because
it doesn't get the south breeze and be-
cause the fittings OF the porcelain tub are
of brass instead OF nickel; he's there with a
mutter about the pitcher the team skipper
puts in on certain days, he's lumpy round
the neckband because the official scorers.
according to his dope, are giving him the
pound thing all the time, and In general
he's a bad actor who In rearing and kicking
around the barrier is liable to hash the
whole layout from flag fall TO finish.
III he's not q grouch or a kicker, he's
pretty sure to have something else ailing
him. He may be a periodical souse or one
OF the slinkers who gets oorned up on malt
every night or so under cover. A man
OF this kind isn't OF any use TO a ball club,
when he's behaving himself. When a ball
player deliberately fags the training
rules and stakes himself TO a pickle when
ever he feels a yen for the wet stuff. he not
only makes himself useless but he gets
the others going by his example.
I'm not Numbering on the goody
goody thing just 20 give my tonsils eXer-
else, but I'm telling about what | know
after having watched the thing for a good
many years. II doesn't make the slightest
difference TO me what n hall player Of my
outfit may do so long as he keeps himself
1T and delivers the goods during the play
ing season. I'm not concerned with the
mems habits so long as their habits don't
interfere with their playing ability. As
far as the long cared boys in the game
are concerned-the Epworth Ieaguers. |
mean, who never took a smoke or a chew
and never got. lit up in their lives I'm
bound TO say that I've known mighty few
Of them that were first ella "A players. And
the devil OF il about the dead good ones
who butt into the game is that they're 80
mighty proud OF their correct habits that
they either hold the rest Of their team
mates in contempt or they try to impress
their way Of looking at things upon the
rest Of the gang, thereby making their
team mates sore or tired.
Il can't dope IL out why these fans who
are there with the suggestions fail TO
understand that the good players, the
chaps with real brains and ability and the
fellows who in addition to being good