The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-16
Old Timers Talk About the
Good Old Days Gone By
vAuoHAN.LLoYD.

In these latter days OF baseball.
when the hero OF the diauond goes
about his daily task with roll OF
padding distributed over his anatomy,
beside which a sheep would look as
IL 1t were but half-clothed, and when
the mind OF an enthusiast liz wonder
Ing what new curves and what new
tricks will be developed In the PROS
pective stason. 1t is pleasant to bark
back to the time WHEN baseball was
more Of game than business and
most of the modern stars were in the
making.
Perhaps no city in the South has
sent forth SO many sons who have
made themselves famous in the lime
light and the spotiights that play
across the diamonds OF the major
leagues as has Richmond. To-day
some OF the men whom Jake Wells
picked up in the back lots OF small
cities anywhere from North Adams,
Mass, to Cincinnati, may be found
doing stellar work on both National
and American teams.
These horny handed sons of toll who
were found playing ball In back alleys,
where the diamonds had to be shaped
according to the lots and the umpire
had to stand whare he could reach
out and touch both pitcher and second
base, Jake Wells put on diamond
where everything was of tho reguln-
ton size. and where the umpire had
plenty of room to make rapil exit
should circumstances demand It,
Wells taught them how to play; how
IN IN En1 rtrf On IN
had to butt his head in the back-fence
before he could stop the ball; how to
| slide-like Kelley-and how to bring
! down the winged spheres from their
| flight through the ambient air; Jake
| taught them the game. and to-day their
| nan,cs-some Of them-are numbered
| among the most lustrous stars that
| shine from the four corners of the
| diamond.
\ Everybody remembers Jesse Tanne-
hill. whose strong arm helped bring
many victory for the Richmond nine.
| He Is now with Boston. Lee Tame
hill, Jesse's brother, who picked them
1 up from around third base, is now do
ing the same for Chicago, the beef
packing, haseball-loying city beside
| the Great Lakes. Gussie Dnndon, In
fielder, is with the New York Ma
tionals. adding further laurels to his
1 brilliant record Sam Lever, Victor
Willis. Jack Chesbro, Frank Sparks,
| who all went from Richmond to Pitts
: burg, are now In major leagues. with
the exception of Chesbro, who has an
nounced that he is done with baseball
forever and ever. Lever Is still with
Fstlsbn1e. ms is Frank Sparks. Nor
man Elberfeld, known as Brownie
Elberfeld, is with the New York Amer
leans Ralph Seybold Is with the Phil
adelphia Americans. So Richmond
| prides herself that she sends forth SOL
diers, statesmen, jurists, poets. authors
and baseball players. Truly she has
much on which to preen hen feathers
But there are mon still living who
antedate these stars by many long
years-thosc who lived and played II
the days of the Old Virglnlans ant
tho Old Swans.
Think you what n glorious sight 4
would be to see Captain Barfoot steI
into the twirler's BIO X, Captain Alex Tom
shortstop, Pop" Tate get behind TIL.
I bat, Policeman John Tyler go out I,
one OF the gardens, and other promi
nent RichmOnderH who haven't forgot
ten yet how to .'hit 'em out" take vi
the other positions.
II Captain Barfoot was one of tho hes
pitchers OF his day, and ho was a 600,
!
too far away from him, and wheneye
he took up the willow and made eye
at the other pitcher the men out Ii
the gardens always went back as ia
as they could get. At one game Ii
Danyille he knocked the ball over tn
\ fence and out OF sight three times
He had the reach OF two men almost
and pitchers could rarely fool him
"Pop" Iato used to catch the genia
captain, and the two We're as one whal
the sphere was dying between then
Pop could throw the ball to secon'
hase with the best Of them, and steal
Ing bases became almost lost ar
Captain Tomlinson- playuh shortstoI
and the story goes that he was tn
despair Of the opposing batslpar, VIII
could rarely get by him Folicanla
John Tyler was a. good one. too an
'lthsse four policemen would nuks