Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-24
STAR BALL PLAYERS PASS
Minor Leagues will Get Seine Of Them
This Year.
WE'LL KNOWN MEN LISTED TO DROP
Gilbert, Newton, Kelley, PeitE, jack
son, sebring, wIckes and kit
tredEe No Longer In
the Big Circuits.

/ The passing OF famous base ball stars
will be more pronounced this year than ever
before. 1t will be back to the minor
leagues for them, and then, when they
have outlived their usefulness there, OBJ
| scurity. Base ball fans will miss the ia
miliar features OF Billy Gilbert, Doc New
ton, Heinie PETIT, Joe Kelley, Jim Jackson,
Jimmy sebring, Bob Wicker, Kittredge
and others who have seen their best days
as major league players Gilbert not long
ago had a long following in this city when
he played second base for the New York
Nationals, former worlds champions. His
friends lauded him TO the skies, until Gil
bert believed that much Of the success OF
IMcGraw's men was due 70 his efforts. But
without the slightest warning McGraw has
cut Gilbert out Of the once great team and
has sold his release to the Newark club OF
the Eastern league. So rapidly has this
player gone back that no club in the Ma
tional league put in a claim for his serv-
ices Gilbert cannot understand that he
has become a player of minor league call
Der and has opened a saloon In this city,
declaring that he will never wear uni
! form again. but he may think better Of II
later on.
Doc Newton, who was suspended by the
New York Americans last fall, has been
practically forced out Of the big leagues
and has accepted the terms Of the Montreal
! club Of the Eastern league. Newton has
been a noted left-handed pitcher, playing
with the former champion Brookyns and
also in California. But his habits have not
been the best and the big managers have
passed him up. In Montreal under the
management of Malachi Kittredge, the vet
eran catcher, who quit major league ball
last year after a campaign of nearly sew
enteen seasons, Newton may cut a wide
swath. He is not an old man by any
means, and II he does well in the box he
II ay get another chance with one Of the
clubs in the American or the National
league.
Heinie Peitz a star catcher in his day,
has dropped from the Pittsburg club to the
Louisvilles Of the American association.
but he may not play ball again, as he does
not care for the terms offered to him by
Louisville. Peitz made his mark with the
| Cincinnati team. with Theodore Breten-
stein he helped to form the famous
''Pretzel battery" and both became warm
favorites wherever they went. Cincinnati
| let him go to Smokeville two years ago
and he did good work for the Dreyfuss
/ team for some time. But last season Peitz
began to slide down the toboggan in such
way that It was apparent to everybody
that he reached the end Of his career.
Joe Kelley, another famous player, has
| left the Cincinnati team to take up the
managerial reins at Toronto. another East
| ern league club. Kelley was a young
| player Of promise when Hanlon got him
| from Pittsburg, where he had gone from
Omaha, in 1895. in exchange for Van
Haltren and $500 Kelley, as left fielder
| Of the Baltimores, became a star and In
| two years time his release could not have
been purchased for $4,000 and perhaps
more. When McGraw left Baltimore to
take the management Of the New York
| Nationals Kelley went to Cincinnati In a
similar capacity. He received big salary
and It was predicted that he would be a
success in his new role. But, strange TO
say, Kelley was a dismal failure not only
as a manager, but as a player, and when
Hanlon was engaged by Garry Hermann
he found that Kelley was practically all IN.
Not a club in the National or the Amer
lean league wanted Kelley when he was
placed on the market so that It was posi-
BILE to sell his release outright TO Toronto,
where he will receive as much salary, how
ever, as he got in Porkville.
! James sebring had a brilliant future
when he broke into major league ball some
] time ago as a member Of the Pittsburg
team Then he was traded to Cincinnati,
where he became dissatisfied and soon
| Jumped his contract to Join the Williams
| mort club Of the Tri-State league, at that
! time an outlaw organization. When the
| Tri-state was admitted to protection under
the national agreement, however, Sebring
wanted to get back into the National league
j TO play with the Chicago club, which had
! purchased his release from Cincinnati IN
| the meantime. But the national commits
sion. after subjecting him to trial. de-
cided that he would have to remain In the
Tri-state for life or until his playing days
| were over.
Bob Wicker, for years one Of the Chicago
| Cubs best pitchers and high-salaried
| player, wound up his major league career
in Cincinnati last year. He did not come
m 10 the requirements of Hanlon. who
| sold his release to the Columbus club Of
the American association. Jimmy Jackson
will also play with Columbus this year,
as the Cleveland Americans have concluded
| that he has outlived his usefulness In the
Forest City.
Father Time will soon drive other great
PLAYERS into the background. James Nc
! .
/ has been in the game for twenty-three
years. has not much further 70 go, while
/ II will not be long before Willie Keller,
AL Orth, Jimmy Williams and other mem
| bers of Clark Grihith's band will be seen
| on the diamond for the last time, Jimmy
! Collins, Cy Young, Jesse Tannehill, Lou
! Criger Bill Dineen and Chick Stahl OF the
Boston Americans have only a few years
] left 10 serve. II will not be long before
Rube waddeIl, Harry Davis, Monte Cross,
Ossie Schreckengost and Ralph Seybold
/ OF the Philadelphia Americans retire after
| long campaigns in which they have be-
! come famous. John Anderson and Jack
Warner of the washingtons are veterans
who are nearing the windup, while the
same may be said Of Jack OCounor, Kid
| Wallace and Jack Powell OF the St. Louis
/ Browns OF the worlds champion White
/ sox. George Davis will soon get out Of the
game. as he has played steadily for eigh-
! teen wears. Elmer Flick and the great La
ioie OF the Clevelands are growing old, and
/ so is Bobby Lowe OF the Detroits.
McGinnity In the estimation OF many
critics has seen his best days as pitcher
for McGraw's team, while Bill Dahlen,
Frank Bowerman, Dan Mccain, Dummy
| Taylor. George Browne and Mike Donlin,
| all Of the same team, cannot last much
/ longer In fast company. In Pittsburg
Fred Clarke is practically through playing
,,-F11 tara ha hancn this war vhfla