The Washington times., 1908-01-26
BAD Regulations
Of SOME PLAYERS
DUE TO ACCIDENT
ObstreperOuS S tar S
Often Tanned by
New Managers.

Manager Joe CantilIon's pcnChant for
signing players for the Washington club
who have q reputation for being hard
10 handle and then apparently tanning
them without trouble has been the sub
,ject of a vast amount of comment
But in many cases the man who IS
tagged as a dangerous character IS not
such G rough citizen, and has merely
acquired disagreeable reputation
through accidents. Many of these bad
boys prove to be tractable enough when
they move into new surroundings. Com
menting upon this subject Henry j.
Edwards says in the Cleveland Plain
Dealer:
''Bad actors do not always live w
to their reputation in baseball. While
in many instances a player keeps UP
his eccentric habits no matter what
club he played with, Rube Waddeu, for
instance. there are cases Of where play
ers who have acquired regulations d.
men hard to handle, overcoming and
living down those regulations.
Jake Thielmans Case.
Take Jake Thielman. Of the Maps
for instance. Prior to his coming to
Cleveland. it was predicted that Man
sg6r Lajoie would never be able to
control him-that Thielman was a bad
actor and so on. IN fact, 50 many
reports along that line We're circulated
that Manager LajOie was doubtful Of
retaining Thielman when the training
trip was started.
"But the reputation given Thielman
was li5elIOus. Instead of being a bad
actor, Jake vas just the otherwise, ard
not once all season did the management
have to reproye him. lie always kept in
condition and never shirlled in the least.
AIOdes.y itself. as rule. he believed in
mindi2g his own business, and as re
suit he not only acquired great pOpu-
larity among the Cleveland players and
fans. but among the players of other
American League teams.
Became Prize Package.
In fact. his conduct was such that
an Eastern hoteIkeeper remarked one
night last summer that if Cleveland
mad an entire team of Thielmans he
would not know he had a ball club
in his hotel"
Jake may not be any better as
pitcher this year than last. but the
chances are that he will show improved
season, and each mistake cost him a
game. That slow ball he handed Sam
Crawford on May 81 for instance, and
the same kind of q flOateT that he hand
ed George Stone ten days previous.
Those two pieces Of bad judgment hurt
an awful lot, but Jake knows more
than TO repeat.
Cobb Is Also Tame.
''Ty Cobb is another who has appar-
emily lived down his reputation as a bad
actor. He was in hot water all season
in 1906 and started out last spring by
mixing 1t up with Charley Schmidt, of
the Tigers. Then Jennings tried to
trade Cobb to Cleveland for Elmer
Flick. Cleveland would not listen to
the offer. however. for il was thought
that Cobb would be q disturber on the
Maps That was one reason, and the
belief that Flick was the better man of
the two was the other However, Cobb
remained with Detroit and Jennings
succeeded in tanning him most COM
pletely.
But these are only exceptions. In
most cases the man with the reputation
for eccenTiCity ana the ability TO stir
,up troubles generally sticks to those
traits and shifts from one club to an
Fothers seldom remaining over a season
or so II one town