Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-08
HOBBIES AND FADS
OF BALL PLAYERS
Billy Evans Declares That
They Are the Most Super
stitious Class of People
in the World.
By Billy Evans.

situations originated no one seems to
know. but tradition has handed them
down from generation to generation. If
anything, the ball player of the present
age believes more in things uncanny than
the veteran of the past.
If son Of swat happens to see wagon
passing by with empty barrels as it's
cargo, he regards the game of the after
noon as cinched. A load Of hay means
two hits in the dictionary of superstition
to the player spying It, To make the
charm more certain. he is supposed to
pluck handful of hay from the passing
wagon. Players approach the plate diff
ferently. Nothing could induce some of
them to walk between the umpire and the
catcher, as they come to bat. Others In
variably draw line alongside the plate
before assuming their place in the box.
Napoleon Lajoie always does this. In
these and many other ways players betray
| their belief in things superstitious.
| Perhaps no pitcher in the country was
| more in the eyes of the public last year
than Bin Donovan. This wonderful right
| handler, with his great string Of victories.
kept Detroit in the running all year and
made the winning of the pennant possible.
Despite his greatness. Donovan has his
pet superstition. and it cropped out In the
very first game he worked last season.
Donovan has dread Of working In a
shut-out game on his first appearance. He
believes 1t a season hoodoo and would 90
almst anything to prevent it.
Wise Hughey Jennings saved Donovan
until the hot weather last season Not
until June rolled around din Hughey ask
Donovan to take his turn On the rubber.
The day was warm and Donovan felt mt.
He informed Jennings that he thought he
could deliver. Bill had everything he
ever had. and little bit more. but he
was wilder than western broncho. In
the first eight innings he passed as many
men. two in one inning. but either great
pitching or fielding would prevent WASH
ing from scoring. I happened to be work
ing back Of Donovan that day and noticed
that he seemed to let Up in the ninth in
ming. also that he used nothing but
straight fast ball. pass, an error and
a cracking hit by Charley Hickman sent
a couple of tallies over the pan.
After the game was over 1 bumped into
Donovan on his way to the clubhouse and
remarked to him:
What was the matter: did you lose
mo, 1 guess not replied Donovan,
but 1 have no desire to win a shut-out
game right off the reel. Shut-outs on
your debut are not lucky" concluded Bill
as he hiked for the dressing room.
Fred Glade, the former Brownie. who
will star for Clarke Griffith next season,
has decided dread of dark days. Fred
likes to work under a clear sky with
"Old SoI' shining brightly. This is a
strange popularity when 1t is considered
that Glade's main stock in trade is his
fast ball. and on a dark day he ought to
Shine. Nothing pleases Cy Young more
than to work under a dark day. His great
speed is practically unhttable on such
days and he often works out Of turn to be
SO benefited The same Is true with al
most any other speed merchant, but not
so with Glade.
According to Glade he has never during
his career won a game on dark day.
The closest he ever came to victory was
a near-win at Detroit one day in August
last season: 1t was Friday and Fred
doesn't think it any too lucky. For eight
| innings the Tigers gave great exhibition
of club swinging. trying to locate Glade S
great speed. There was nothing doing in
the swat line.
Looks as if you were going to cop a
dark victory at last" remarked Tom
Jones as he and Glade headed for the
bench in the FIRST half of the ninth.
Perhaps" said Glade in his dry man
ner," but you know Detroit gets another
With the score 3 to 1 against them the
Tigers came in for the last half of the
| ninth. Niles at second booted the first
two balls hit at him, Coughlin hit for a
single and Cobb followed with a double
The game was over and Glade had lost
another near victory
Glade has another hobby. He always
started each inning with the browns by
| tossing ball to Tom Jones before warm
ing up. Next year he will have to use as
his victim Hal Chase
Stony McGlynn of the st. Louis Car
| dinals, who is thirty-seven, but was her
aided last year as a promising youngSter
by many critics. has decided preference
or ladies day" when 1t comes to pitch
ing. Those VINO know say that one of the
Inducements that caused him to leave
that dear old home at York, Pa, was
2romse by McClosky that he would have
he honor of working all the ladies
lay events scheduled in St. Louis
Whether Stony has belief that his
urves are more effective when viewed
ny the fair sex, or whether he simply like
o shine when there Is d display of millf-
cry in the grand stand is a mystery. It's
I certainty, however. that he has won q
zig percentage of the games when pitch
ng on the day in question.
Now Stony hEn't as handsome as the
General run of heroes on the stage-in
act, he would make a better villain
but when 1t was known that he was mar
led there was much wai.ing and weeping
Ind great gnashing of teeth Now that
he secret is out, McClosky fears that
stony will no longer be card. and he is
trying to dig up another twirler for his
arge assortment to perform on that all
important day.
Jack Powell. the husky pitcher of the
ST. Louis Browns. has decided aversion
TO work in a game in which a spitball
irtist is tossing them up for the opposi-
ton. Big Jack, by the way, was pitch
,ngs the greatest ball of his career during
he last two months of the 1907 campaign.
Powell's dislike to work in games
against damp singers is based more OH
act than superstition. When the spit
ball first came into use Powell received
many drubbing when working against
apor float artists. The fact worried him
for ii made him think he was going back
,adly. and that the successful pitcher o
never could see the spit ball. and he de-
he nasty habit. Then he made a dis
covery.
On days when working against pitch
er who didn't use the splitter Powell would
have everything in his repertoire at his
command. Now, Jacks best stock in
rade is his great curve ball. When work.
1g against d spit ball pitcher his curve
ball failed to break. Jack finally discov-
| cred that the excessive use of spit had a
| bad effect on the horsehide that covers
| he ball. causing it to stretch great
| deal and making the seam less prominent
| In throwing the curve it is necessary tc
| grasp the seam firmly. This he was un-
| able to do consequently the curvs
| wouldn't break and it was pie for the
| batters. Now when it's Powells turn to
work and a splitter is slated to oppose him
| he shifts his day to twirl.
Elmer Flick of the Cleveland team firm