Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13
COLLINS PRAISED
BY OLD ASSOCIATES
Billy Hamilton Expects Crack
Sd Basenan to Play as Well
as Ever This Year.
MidWinter Gossip of the Ma
tionaI Game-The AC-
QUESTION of Ganley.
By j. C. Morse.

play as good BAH as he ever did in his life
says Billy" Hamilton. who played on the
Boston Nationals with Collins for several
seasons and doubtless is as conversant with
his abilities as any one. 81 think there is a
deal of base ball left in Collins" said he,
land ! think that good. sound judgment
was shown in keeping him on the team
rather than TO allow him to go elsewhere
Collins ought 10 have no trouble at all to
get into first-class shape Mark my word,
ne will come around all right again in the
spring, aud he will have no difficulty at all
to regain his old-timc popularity with the
crowds What would 5000 be for player
of his mold. when you could not replace him
for any sum at all. for players of his sort
do not turn up once in a generation. Had
Boston allowed Collins to go and then he
made good in St Louis, perhaps It would
not have made the Boston club owners look
sick. Let Collins get back into shape again,
and ii Will make a mighty big difference
with the Boston club. | doubt If there ever
was a player who helped more to democrat
iZe opposing club single handed than
this same Collins. OF course some will put
other third basemen in the same class with
Collins, but there is nothing to it. He heads
the list. There are other good men, of
course, but they do not shine with the brill
nancy of Collins. When Selee had the team
anu Collins was in the outfield he was
good man. but they did not know it. He
did not have a fair trial then. They put
him in the outfield a few games and then
decided he would not do. Boston let him
go once before, but luckily had a string on
him, and had it not been for the fact that
Louisville tried him third base and
found out his worth for Boston, there is
no doubt he would have been cast off for
good. Since that time Boston has not
heard the end of the loss 1t sustained by
letting young George Stone go. Had the
owners of the club profited by the case of
Collins, Stone would never have been re-
leased outright. The history of the game is
full of cases where players were taken
back after the order had gone forth for
their release, and they made good, too. 1t
pays to be sure that a player is not worth
further trial before letting him go for good.
Another case of the kind is AltrOck now
one of the best left-handers in the country.
1t may not be generally known that this
player was not we'll when he was with the
Boston club and, therefore, he was in no
condition to do himself justice. 1t was
thought that he was not worth further trial
and he was let go. He asked ComiSkey
for a trial and promised to make good
guess that every who has followed the
game knows the rest of the story, what
game he pitched last season, the factor he
was in landing the pennant for his club in
the American League championship and
the series for the worlds championship.
The Chicago Nationals won their own PEN
nant with such that they thought they
had the only pitchers in the country. They
found out when they were through that
tner own pltCHlng corps was not marker
to that of the other Grub, and they found
out, too, that the White Sox knew a thing
two about playing base ball.
81 think that Chick Stahl will make
very good record with the Boston club
He knows the game and, what is best of
all. is well liked by all the players, who
will do their best to help him make
good showing.
1T is too bad that Collins had the ex-
perience he had last season. 1t was
enough to break up any head of n club
when he himself. went out of commission
he became utterly discouraged. You see
Collins had never been up against a losing
game before and the blow was too much
for him. 1t was bitter experience for
him 1 can well believe"
There is no doubt at all that Boston
made a move that was not pleasing to
the other players of the team, and surely
not to many of the patrons of the game.
when George Lachance was allowed to
go and tits said that this change in the
team had it's effect on the playing of other
men in the team Parent has not played
the same game since big Georges de
parture that he did before that player was
allowed TO go elsewhere. 1t has been said
OF Lachance that he was target und
nothing else but that was a whole lot.
Pat Dougherty did certainly get on
those bases" said Fred Doe the other day.
''That player did his little part to help
COuNSkey 10 DE IlTSI over the line last Std-
son. and 'Commy' got him just when he
needed him and l see has landed him for
another season.
No one at the meeting of the National As
ISOLATION in New York last week was more
pleased at the admission of the Tri-State
organization to organized ball than Fred
Doe The Providence club had it's share of
troubles with the Tri-State. and owing to
defections had to eXpend a deal of money
to make the team as strong as others in the
same organization.
Talking OF those who had been hard hit
by the existence of the Tri-State League.
Manager McDermott formerly OF the Fan
River club, said that he had six players out
of his team at time owing to the fact
that the Tri-State League without the
pale OF organized ball.
Some of the club owners or managers of
officials who had been hard hit yelled iusti-
ly at the idea of allowing the Tri-State to
retain on It's reserve list players who had
jumped the reserve of other clubs but was
not the same thing done when the National
and the American leagues patched up their
differences?
Secretary Locke Of the Pittsburg club
said in New York the other day that
waivers had been sought and obtained from
every club in the National League on Bob
Ganley, and the Boston club was among
NJ g
of the Boston club had been given verbally.
That being the fact Ganley's name passed
the muster of every club. There was ru-
NOR to the effect that Barney Dreyfuss did
not want the player to go to any other
club in the National League. but this Mr..
Locke declared was not so. Anyhow. 1t
seems II was tipped off that he would not
be a desirable man for Boston to have. II
any manager can handle the player and
get good results out Of him that man Will
be his new manager, Joe Cantillon, and as
Ganley declares he is glad to make the
change the arrangement will doubtless be
a good one for him and for the Washing
ton club. Certainly player has made
more changes in the time he has been
In professional base ball than Ganley. The
local Nationals declare they are still In
the dark about the who will be sent
here by Pittsburg. Ganley ought to help
Washington a whole lot
II certainly viii be a novel thing to have
a championship opening in Boston aas early
as has been outlined by the schedule COM
mlttees OF the American and National
leagues This Will be the earliest cham
pionship start ever known here. 1t has
been generally the idea to start on Patriots
day and last season the American League
opened a day earlier. If good base ball