Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-28
ANGEL PLAYER
MAY GET AWARD
FANS SELECT BERNARD AS
BEST IN LEAGUE
MAeNATEs TO DECIDE CONTEST
NEXT WINTER
Honor of Being Officially Recognized
as Greatest All Around Ball Tosser
for 1908 Probably viii
Be His

The offer of the Pacific Coast league
magnates of cash prize OF 500 In
gold to the fan who names the player
honor of being the "best player in the
league for 19OS' at the annual meeting
next winter, has stirred up considerable
interest locally and the Angeleno fans
are watching the playing of the Angel
boys with greater interest because
name of the player who will get the
honor. Nine in every ten fahs' Will
bet that Curtis Bernard will be the
lucky player.
Bernard formerly played center field
for the Angels, but has been trans
ferred to second base this season. He
is making good in that position with
the same degree of success that ne
made good In center garden, and ne
Is regarded as fixture at the Key
stone sack. His transfer was made by
Hen Berry because Bernard had shown
good ability in playing an infield po-
sition when emergencies arose and be-
cause Hen had sneaking idea that
Bernard is the best all-round player
in the league. He Is natural ball
player, being exceedingly fast on his
feet, an excellent judge of fly balls
and distances and a reliable. steady
batter at about 300 clip when he is
right.
There never was time since he has
been playing with the Angels that the
fans were uneasy when Bernie went
to bat in an emergency. He is as
great a bunter as old Jesse Burkett,
and can hit the ball out when he
wants to. He is popular for many rea-
sons, but principally because he sell
dom is seen to strike out, drop fly
or make a wild throw, and 1t is next
to impossible to catch him mapping off
a base or run him down between the
cushions. He plays the game all the
time and always is making good wher-
ever he plays. He has had many
chances to break into the big leagues,
but has declined all offers because
he desires to remain In Los Angeles
to finish his medical studies, and while
he is here he will remain with Berry
and the Angels. Money cannot take
him away, and he has made 1t so clear
to big league scouts that he will quit
the game rather than play anywhere
other than with the Angels that these
scouts have not wasted time in draft
ing him, as 1t would mean that he
would retire and nobody would be ben
Gifted in attempting to make him
change his mind.
His record bears out the statement
that he is the best all-round player
in the league. His fielding average
last season was 1919, and his batting
average was .271. He has won sew
eral base running matches, proving
that he is the fastest base runner In
the game.t and his stolen base record
proves his ability In negotiating the
sacks under difficulties. The man who
a
for an entire season. hit at .271 for
season when he was out of the game
because of illness and accidents that
materially affected his batting, and
who is the acknowledged fastest man
in the league, has a big edge on all
rivals in the race for the distinction
of being officially recognized as the
gins to look like he had a cinch on
the honor. He made only two errors
last season and led the league out
fleders in percentage.
Bernie learned the "rudiments" of
the game at Beardstown, ILL.,, where
he played on the high school team in
1896 In 1S96-97 he was on the Black
burn university team, his playing in
the previous years having attracted
such favorable notice that he was
given his tuition and board for his
services as a ball player. He played
his first professional engagement with
the Brockton, Mass, team in the New
England league in 1898. He batted
.S05 and fielded at a high average that
sea son.
He Joined the Albany club of the
New York state league in 1899, bat
ting $3.50, and was drafted that year
by the New York Nationals with which
team he played in 1900 and 1901 as
utility man. He played every posi-
ton on the team, except in the pitch
er's box He batted 200 in 1900 and
hit at .3O1 clip the following year
Toledo bought him in 1902 and he
played two years with that team in
the American association. He batted
.3O5 in 1902 and .31S in 1908.
In 1904 he came to Los Angeles be-
cause of throat trouble and Joined the
Angel band. He batted at 1909 in 1904,
.2S5 in 1905, .275 in 1906 and .271 in
1907. He is taking a course in medi-
cine at the Los Angeles College of
and is batting" above 300
in all his medical examinations. He
is a deservedly popular player end the
league honors could not fall to a
worthier player.