Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
By Billy Evans.

Have YOU ever tried to imagine now
minor league player feels on his tfrst
appearance in either of the big leagues
Just ask some busher who has jumped
from a class d league to the majors ana
he will tell you that it's quite a sensa-
ton. A crowd of 10000 makes the bush
league recruit think that all the people
in the world have gathered to see MN
perform. In his minor league DAYS ne
regarded crowd of 5000 as the limit
OF course. there are exceptions TO all
rules but generally the new recruits I'M
agine every eye in the crowd Is upon
them: they are self,conscious and seem
TO think that their success in base ball
depends on the initial debut. Working
under such conditions generally has a bad
= effect on the players showing. and many
aNman who was joke his first ap-
pearance in the big league has developed
into star The wise manager reahzes
the strain the young player is working
under and takes all these things INTO con-
sideration before passing final judgment.
Perhaps no player works under great
er strain than the minor league pitcher
The twirler is continually in the lime
light. He has more opportunities TO go
wrong than the infielder outfelder or
catcher and for this reason his work Is
watched all the more closely. Coca
pitchers are not picked up every day
;nd when team signs new one the
fans always flock to tie park to see his
first performance. Usually the fans are
prone to pass judgment too quickly II
the youngster gets away bad in the hrst
inning and is deTricked after the OPPOSE
ton has made four or five runs, he Is
Immediately dubbed a joke. others WIZ
insist that he must have broken INTO
the big league with dark lantern anu
a Jimmy On the other hand, let one OF
the veterans start game and get MI
as hard as the youngster. MI. fah VIII
be Johnny on the spot with an excuse
lie will assure you that the veteran hdn
an off day. that he never WORKS wen
when high wind is blowing, and that
things might have been different II the
shortstop hadn't slipped up on that pop
fly that would have retired the side lhese
and thousand other excuses VIII De
offered to excuse the veterans poor SHOW
ing, which merely goes to show that
there is everything in having reputation
for greatness. 1t serves to cover up
faults innumerable.
The sensation of the base ball world III
the pitching line last season was Waiter
Johnson of the Washington American
League team. In Johnson Manager can
tIlon picked up the real big find of the
year, and he ought to be the ''Whirilns
Noise" during the coming season. john
son is a big. raw-boned, Six-foot western
err He is only twenty years OF age. ana
if he takes the proper care OF hlmseiI
ne ought to develop into one OF the most
powerful men in base ball. These facts
make the showing of Johnson all the
more powerful and make him all the
more valuable to the club.
A broken finger played prominent part
~, brin of Johnson
can League. In a game with Philadei-
phia Seybold fouled off one OF rom
Hughes fast ones, the ball hit CHI
Blankenship. who was catching, squarelS
on his throwing hand and broke the sec
ond finger. The accident caused much
gloom in the Washington camp, for the
club was in badly crippled condition at
the time. 1t seems friend or Cantll-
Ions in the west had tipped Johnson on
ito Joe. He was touted so strongly TO the
Washington manager that Cantlllon de-
cided he was\ worth trial he decided
to make use Of Blankenship One morn
ing he supplied the crippled catcher with
a ticket to Weiser, Idaho, with instruc-
lions to look over johnson. Blankensh1p
saw him work and signed him to WASH
ington contract, and Johnson agreed 10
report at a certain time. Blankenshlp
brought back ST oh wonderful reports to
the capital about Johnson that his COM
-dsg was awaited with great curiosity by
fNS-<ans. The fact that he arrived ten
as ssfsa ,e caused him to be the talk OF
Johnson was Sent in against Detroit on
Ids tNst appearance. Detroit at that time
vas Gading the American League. In
sase one inning Johnson demonstrated ne
y.s-rhe goods. Instead of being nerv-
Gus, he was the most confident player on
the field. He had the heavy hitters on
the Tiger Team doing lot of fancy cluo
swinging Then Hughey Jennings decid-
ed raS( the only thing to do was punt.
sDavy Jones and Sam Crawford laid down
Abunts that the big fellow couldn't handle.
Nan infield hit aud single by Cobb scored
Two runs and settled the game.
iThe showing of Johnson set the base
Sail world on fire, and the veteran play
ers on both teams claimed he was the
best youngster that ever broke into fast
company. Johnson was green and very
!, weak on fielding hunts, but before the
( close of the season he had polished up
most of the rough spots and took care
Is the bunts in fine style. The big west
efU&E<has an easy movement and should
be 4Iother Cy Young in the point of en-
durance.
Edgar Willetts of the Detroit team
broke in against the White Sox in
August, 1906. when the Chicago players
were making their bid for the grand old
rag. All of Armour's veteran pitchers
were in bad shape and he decided to use
one of his colts W1lettS was selected
for the opening game and he performed
in great style. He lost his game = to 0.
allowing only five hits errors giving Chi
cago both OF its runs.
After the game was over one of the
regulars asked Willetts how ne felt.
We'll. I'm mighty glad it's over. 1t
seemed to me as ii l lad been pitching a
week" he replied. The fact that the
game had been played in one hour and
twenty minutes will convey to the reader
how Willetts must have felt.
The next day Armour decided to use
Rowan. hoping that he would have as
good luck against the White Sox as Will
let's. In the very first inning Chicago
made nine runs. Then Armour hung the
can on Rowan and he retired to the
bench.
How did it feel out there when they
were making those nine runs?" remarked
Willetts who was sitting on the bench
TO Rowan. who had taken a seat beside
him and was trying to figure out how it
happened.
Why. that one inning seemed longer
TO me than all the rest of the summer"
was Rowans reply.
Then he and Wiiletts glared at each