Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-17
TEAM WORK Is
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

Studying the possibilities OF a oaSe pail
championship race before 1t begins. and be-
fore the ownership of a pennant for the
season is settled. is as fascinating and ell
PERTAINING as trying to solve the mysteries
of bridge hands, why a girl cannot pass
mirror without stealing one wee glance to
see II her hat is on straight. and the trans
portation problem OF 100000 individuals.
all of whom want to transport the same
way at the same time. says john b. Eos
ter in the New York Telegram.
The greatest fault on the part of most of
those who let their fancles picture winners
is their forgetfu!ness as to the value Of
team work
Individuality in base ball counts for
nothiE.; if :. is not concentrated into mu-
tuality Nine Chases might never win
championship in their lifetime If they could
not be made TO play as one Chase team
of Hans" Wagners or Lajoies that could
not subordinate themselves to be parts Of
a whole. and each not the whole part
would be more likely to be beaten than to
win.
paper-tnat have ever been organized have
been the easiest to beat. True they won
a certain share of games. but when the
test came that was to determine their skill
they disintearated like rock in an eruption
OF NesuviuS.
Years ago the Chicago Brotherhood club
was organized. with material which seemed
to surpass that of any welded into one
ball team. Two principal reasons accounted
for it. One that the hackers of the Chicago
Brotherhood club were so chicken hearted
that they would not start in the fight un-
less they had the best in sight, and the
other that Comiskey could only be induced
TO go into the brotherhood scheme by being
assured of something that would maintain
his St Louis reputation.
The Chicago Brotherhood club was one
Of o lamenfa bile fZZlpS in base ball
history. Why? No team work. no effort
at team work. no respect for anything by
the players except what they presumed to
be their surprising individual skill.
on the other hand. see what team work.
properly exemplified. has done for some
clubs.
Take the St. Louis champions OF the
American Association as an example. There
We're good players on the team, but there
was better system in their play. Each man
knew what was expected of him when the
occasion arose, and each man knew that
there would be 10 excuse for him If he
failed to arise to the occasion.
There was another club. at about the
same period. that was one of the few that
ever batted its way into a championship re-
gardless of team work. pitchers or any
other assistance. That was the old Detroit
nine.
The Giants in the eighties, until they mas
tered team work never won a pennant. So
long as they tried to play on the individual
plan they could always do just well enough
not TO be first in the race.
In 1889 the Cleveland team surprised all
che base ball world in the third year OF It's
return TO the National League by the bril-
Iancy and dash of its game, and for more
than half a season had the strong eastern
mines frightened beyond measure. 1t was
wholly due TO team work. for the Clevelands
individually did not compare fayorably with
some of their competitors.
For five years after that leveland, with
the exception of the brotherhood year,
maintained a dangerous place in the lea que
race. because the nine played ball with in
telligent motives.
Contemporaneous with Cleveland. and
even greater In some respects, was Balti-
more. another nine of consistent team work
Patched up of players who had been dis
carded- by other managers many of whom
were said TO be worthless. Ii won cham
pionship after championship. and has grad
uated more managers. than any major
league nine in base ball history.
Pittsburg may be cited the champion
ship club In which team work was a pre-
vailing feature. and the Boston Americans
IN their prime we're another instance OF
like nature. while team work has been the
keynote OF the Giants success, as well as
that both of the Chicago clubs.
And yet how many there were prior to the
success of almost all of these teams who
predicted little for them b-fore the begin
ming of the first season in which they es-
tablished their greatness.
Ii does not take all stars to make a star
team. One or two stars with players OF
average skill, out superior intelligence, are
some times worth infinitely more than al
stars whose selfish assertiveness induces
them to try TO keep their personal pro
ficiencies in the limelight whether the nine
wins OF loses.
Without cooperation a team OF all stars
can play great deal OF brilliant, spectac
ular and dazzling ball. and at the finish OF
the game find themselves behind their oppo
nents, owing to their refusal subordnat.
picturesque agility to plain matter o.
good "hoss sense"
Therefore, when the base ball fan" s.sl
down to his task this spring of trying t.
select the winner of the coming race, lie
him ponder hoy this player and the othel
player of team will fit into the genera
field work of the game than tire his braiI
in trying to demonstrate how O collection
of players may be greater in individual ca
pacity than others. and for that reason D,
more successful.
For it's the team that pulls togethei
that "yanks" the stump. and not the one II
which one horse balks while the other es
says to go ahead.