Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-09

~ !. ~
bases full never have to wait long be-
fore they are enthroned among the idols
A baseball .fan" can forgive much IL
player can only hit 1t is the primi-
tive admiration of the weak for the
strong.
Lajoie has the modest personality of
the big man who cannot help 1t because
he is able to make home runs He
would rather discuss any other player
in nine with which he happens to be
connected than himself.
If he should win five games in success
sion by making home run each day
the chances are that the only express
sion of satisfaction to be CLEANED from
him would be that his team had won.
That's why baseball fans" like Lajoie.
Hans" Wagner is even more diffident
thta Lajoie. If he thought he was to be
interviewed he would be likely to lock
himself in his room.
But Hans is an idol The baseball
public from California to Maine knows
that if he comes to the plate he is
likely to drive the ball so far that the
outfielders will chase it to the fences, or
with such tremendous force that
fielder could scarcely be criticised for
avoiding it.
There is not a spectator who goes to
game but is aware of the fact that
Wagner, with that wonderful reach
the reach of The octopus grasp1ng its
prey-will stretch himself into an in
credible length, and with one of his
broad, powerful hands pull the ball to
the ground where a less agile man
would naver have been able to touch it.
Hans" Wagner is the india rubber
idol of the national game.
"HaP' Chase-"Prince HaP' they call
| him-is not only an idol because he can
play ball well, but because he plays 1T
with a physical grace which commands
the admiration of every person who has
touch of the artistic in his nature.
Hal Chase an Idol
While the men did their share to make
Chase an idol, it would be decidedly un-
| fair to the women to say that they did
not assist in the work. This young Cali
| fornian, who has lbeen in the east but a
short time and who has played all of
his baseball with the New York Amer
leans, can skip around the diamond
with the polish of a French dancing
master and play ball with the rugged
accuracy of "Old Joe'' Start, who was
something of a first baseman in his
day.
No first baseman ever has been his
equal in ability to take hop. skip and
Jump from first base to the plate, pick
up bunt hit on the way and throw
out some unfortunate runner who is
trying to get to second base. Others
than Chase make this play, but there
is no one who makes it just like Chase.
He is an idol because he does, old
fashioned things in a new fash1oned
way. He runs like deer and ne mas
the daring of a Buck Ewing. The
famous old New York catcher was not
fleet of foot but he attempted to make
bases when other men were afraid to
try, and the audacity of his efforts SO
worried his opponents that they were
more likely to blunder than to play
accurately against him.
You see in Chase some of that same
snlendid nerve Give him an inch and
he will, take an ell. Give him half
lead to second base and he is likely TO
be home before the play is over.
Matthewson, Lajoie, Wagner and
Chase probably represent $25 Ooo worth
of annual expenditure to the New DIX
National, Cleveland, Pittsburg and New
York American league CLUBS. LaJole
draws a large salary, not only because
he is second baseman OF the CleVelanu
club, but for the reason that ne Is
also the manager and captain.
The other players are paid hand-
somelv solely upon their merits as
nlavers. Their exact salaries are
lynown only by themselves and
The owners of the clubs with which
they are connected. They foot well INTO
the thousands. ~ cola
If their releases were TO pe soiu,
which ball players in the pro
fessional leagues are kept in reserve,
in order that some rich and Weaithy
cIuh may not absorb all the best talent
of the country, it is certain that eacn
of them would bring $4,000 or q sum
very close to it.
George Davis Star
Tn Chicago with the ''White Sox,"
the champions of the world. there is
hall player who may well be calleu a
tri-city idol At various times ne mas
been worshiped by the fanatics OF
Cleveland New York and Chlcago;
And he is worshipped by those OF all
three cities even now.
George Davis began to be 1dohzeu
because of his youth, and he has con-
tinued to be idolized because OF the
excellence of his playing. In the days
of 1890, when the National league ana
the brotherhood were at war, Davis
was discovered by the cleveland clup
in Cohoes, N. Y.
Cleveland had lost most of its play
ers to the Brotherhood organization.
In the intense rivalry between the
leagues it did not take long to divide
all the baseball patronage into hostile
sections.
Neither of them could see much
good in the players of the other, and
finally baseball became so bad that
nobody could see much good in it any
where.
out in Cleveland the. Brotherhood
had a lot of veteran ball players who
were too lazy to try. over at the Ma
tional league ground Davis young and
energetic, was hitting the ball for
home runs and three baggers.
BY and by the sarcastic fans" began
TO advise the Cleveland Brotherhood
players to go to the National league
ground and learn something from a