Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19
By Revere Rodgers.

a good many ball players pass through
this historic place in the winter months,
they make 1t a point to call on the genial
Orth. for AL is one of those hospitable
southern persons whom 1t is pleasure to
meet.
Not at any great distance from Mr..
Orth's town lives that strenuous gentle
man. Mr.. Elberfeld. who halls from the
belligerent proclivities are a matter of
history. But the Kid, when you know
him well. Is all right. 1t is only on the
ball field that the dark-eyed boy displays
his pronounced impetuosity.
AS the Kid and AL Orth are two OF the
greatest cronies imaginable. it is little
wonder that Elberfeld. during the winter
months, crosses the state line to see his
friend, the stalwart pitcher
One cold day in January Elberfeld came
into Orth's store and found the New
York twirler sitting on box of crackers,
lazily whiting away at a piece of wood.
''Well. how's business. Alp" cried the
energetic Kid, who is quick in his actions
and sharp-spoken all the time.
why" drawled AL. who talks in lazy
monotone, business would be all right,
Kid, If it wasn't for one thing
And what's that?" snapped Elberfeld.
Its rotten" lazily answered Al, as he
turned his attention to his whiting.
Crooks and Won Der Abe.
When Jack Crooks played second base
for Chris Won Der Abe, the eccentric
owner Of the ST. Louis Browns, who by
the way is going to be given a monster
benefit pretty soon, he was one of those
merry cut-ups. who, if he had adopted the
vaudeville stage. could have made good"
for Jack was doing a whiskered imita-
ton long before Dave Warfield made the
character famous.
Jack Crooks, like the other players of
that period, was never satisfied unless he
was playing some innocent prank on Won
Der Abe, and though Chris used to rave
when he was made the victim of some
prank on the part Of the merry bunch
who were working for him, yet he was
one of those highly eXcitable but for
giving characters who would forget all
about the incident few hours later
Jack Crooks, with his Teutonic dialect
and limitations. would sometimes get Won
Der Abe SO angry that Jack would have
to run for 1t. yet he stood high in the
estimation of Won Der Abe. both as a
good fellow and as first-class ball
player.
One day in the early fall. when the
base ball season was almost at end, Jack
made a couple of errors in a game that
was being played against the New Yorks.
and of course ne had to stand for the
terrific rake-off that Won Der Abe would
invariably hand out to his players when
they were SO unfortunate as to make a
misplay.
h,
striking a melodramatic pose, cried out:
Look well. Chris Won Der Abe. for 1t
is the last time that You will ever gaze
on my face again.
"Mein Colt Jack Crooks" fairly Shrek
ed Chris, 'vot you mean to do; to gom-
nit sucide?'
NO" replied Jack in a tone of pathos.
I'm going to raise whiskers,'' and then
Jack had to sprint to escape the fury of
the emotional German.
Sammy Strang's Argument.
OF all the professional base ball players
in America. there is only one who can be
classed as an aeronaut. and this is
Sammy Strang. the valuable utility man
of the New York National League club
1t is claimed that Strang's knowledgeson
the globular silk outfits is second to no
mans in America.
Strang has a lot of fun out of the bust
ness and tits his pleasure to guy his
fellow ball players about their timidity
in flying high.
Last season when the Chicago Cubs
were playing the Giants, Samn prevailed
upon Johnnie Evers to go out to his place
in Harlem and take a fly with him. When
Johnnie got there he wanted little in
formation on the subject before he would
risk his person in Strang's construction.
so turning to Sammy he asked:
rs there much danger in going up in
a balloon, Strange?
mot near as much as there is in COM
ing down. absent mindedly replied
Strang as he struggled to adjust one of
the guy ropes.
Waddell's Opinion of Alabama Land.
Rube WaddeI, who wintered down in
the sunny region of Alabama. and who
was made a hero of by his southern adj
mirers. never seems to tire of telling his
St. Louis comrades what a swell time he
had last winter, for, according to Wad-
DELL he was the candy kid down in the
vicinity of Mobile.
Now. outside of Rube's ability as
pitcher. and he Is good today as he
ever was. he is natural-born farmer,
and wherever he goes his eagle eyes
never fail to take notice Of the quality
| of the country he is travelling through
that is from an agricultural standpoint.
Apparently he didn't seem to think very
much of the farming land about Mobile,
for when Jimmy McAleer. his manager.
| who is alsosa practical farmer. and who
is acquainted with the big Rube's judg-
ment of farm land, asked Waddell how
the land was down near Mobile RUDE.
with a look of disgust on his expressive
countenance. replied:
"Why, it's so poor Jimmy, that you
can't even raise a disturbance on it.
Al Selbach's Merry Crack.
Ball players, whenever together. are the
biggest kidders in existence. and it is a
angry at what another one says. for they