Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-09


if they are properly trained by COM
petent manager.
Cincinnati is another city whose idols
are in embryo There has been Such
a clean sweep of the players that none
but men who are to make, not to un-
load, regulations are left on the team.
Among the newcomers is one vino is
called "Hans Wagner H."
His name is Lobert. Keep an eye ON
him. He is likely to be high idol to
Cincinnati some day. The name would
catch the Queen city If there were
no physical qualifications to help Lo-
bert out. There is another at Cincin-
natl who may sit on the thrQne of
the worshiped Baseball players call
him admiral Schley," because his
name is Schlei.
He is a catcher, and he does things
once in a while which cause the phleg-
matte Cincinnati "rooters" to rise to
their feet, pound their beer glasses in
front of them and shout "Hoch!"
Washington would have an idol If
the team ever could be made strong
enough to be constant winner WASH
ington people are disposed to become
enthusiastic when Patten pitches. He
is their nearest approach to an idol.
Philadelphia was once filled with
idols. There were so many rivals that
II dlIllOSI IGSullCu III clll iuOi wall O'iS
section was for one league and one for
another. There were Subsections or
the rival leagues. The Quakers spent
their evenings discussing the respective
merits of the individual players. Then
| came baseball war and broke up the
happy family.
Erratic "Rube" WaddeII
Until last year the Athletics fur
| Jol aF ntt
He was the erratic and self-impulsed
/ Waddell. He was worshiped because
he could do nothing like anybody else.
He could not pitch like a perfectly
normal baseball player. Once in a
game he beckoned to the outfielder to
go to thes bench. Then he struck out
the side.
He has one claim for idolatry unsur-
passed in the history of the national
game. One day at Detroit he was sup
posed to have been on hand to pitch
the most important game of the series.
He failed to appear at the baseball
park. Late that evening he wandered
into the hotel with a long string of
fish in his hand and insisted upon TAX
ing them to the managers room to
show them to him.
He had spent the day at Lake st.
Clair instead of fooling around with
a baseball team. When he arrived at
Philadelphia they gave him an ovation,
for he won every game that he pitched
after the fishing trip.
The Philadelphia Nationals were bur-
dened with batting idols. They had
them in the early seventies, and they
have seldom been without them until
the last three or four years. Now they
are cultivating new one His name
is Sherwood Magee. He has been with
Philadelphia less than three years. but
he has shown tremendous zeal in
sma ashing the ball out of the lot.
Hence the popular clamor when he
comes to the bat, and Magee is likely to
follow in the steps of big Sam"
Thompson and Delehanty.
There is not a baseball fan" in the
United States who has not heard of
"Cy' Young of the Boston Americans.
He is an idol because of his age. He
is a vegetarian He began to pitch in
1891 with Cleveland, of the National
league, and he has been in harness since
that time, and has never had an unsuc-
cessful season in his life.
Small wonder that he is an idol. He
has pitched mo hit" games, one hit
games, record strike out games and al
most all other kinds of games. A giant
physically, he is as gentle as woman
and as soft hearted as a child. His per-
sonal conduct is above reproach, and
there has never been q harsh word
spoken of him since he has been con-
nected with the national game.
Tenney Popular
Fred Tenney of the Boston Nationals
is an idol in way. Boston fans" like
to see him make his quick plays to sec
onl base, and like to see him hit the ball
when there are men on bases.
They talk lot about him as a bail
player but when it comes to discussing
him as manager they criticise him. He
is the only instance of an idol being
an idol and not an idol. Perhaps If he
should bring the Boston club up in the
first division this year he would become
a thirty-third degree idol
1t makes all The difference with a
manager whether his team is successful
or not. Boston fans" tell with pride
that Tenney originated the play, best
made by left handler of doubling up
a batter by throwing to second ahead
Of the runner and catching the batter
at first with quick return
Ask them what they think about
Tenney's manner of handling his play
ers, and you get the Mr.. Hyde side of
the question.
Brooklyn Is not minus an idol. Far
from it, He, too, happens be first
baseman. It's strange how many idols
have been at first base. Brooklyn's
idol is "Tim" Jordan, and he lives in
the Bronx. He as president of West
chester association which has been
dubbed in fun the ''Tim Jordan Home
Run Bund."
Jordan Is an idol because he hits
home runs. He made more home runs
in 1906 than any other player in the
National League, and Brooklyn took
him into her arms in spite of the, fact