Evening star., 1908-01-12
BY Umpire Billy Evans.

Is the average professional bail player
gentleman or Is he not? Those inti-
mate with stars of the diamond will re-
ply without the slightest hesitancy,
They are gentlemen"
It's the man who has no interest in
base ball. who never attends a game,
who will refer to the ball player as a
tough. and declare the game Is an evil.
During six months Of the year the
ball player is prominently before the
public. His name Is to be constantly
seen in the paper. for he comes in for
his daily praise or roast. Perhaps there
Is no class of men who have to stand
for more public abuse than the ball
player-the politician isn't excepted.
The fan thinks he has the right to
criticise, roast, praise or abuse the
player just as he sees fit. It's a COM
mon occurrence to hear a bleacherite.
who has paid his two or four pits to
see the game, tell q recognized star,
who Is drawing $4,000 or $4,000 tor his
seasons work. how to play his position.
The Knight OF the diamond" is looked
on as a target for the fans wrath or
know that it's the money of the Iooter
that makes their big salary possible.
so they swallow it all and smile. They
know the American fan is tickle.
The professional ball player is UP
against just such a proposition every
day. He gets peek at and hears from
men in every station of life. Trying
situations tnnumerable present them
selves on and off the diamond. and he
must always be equal to the emer-
gency. To be real success in any OF
the minors or big leagues he must be
able to think fast and act as quickly
He sees lots Of the country and meets
lots OF people. and there is no better
education than travel All these things
tend to develop the ball player and it''
a certainty that as a profession the past
ball player will compare very favoraoi1
with any other class OF men. his In
telligence Is far above the ordinary. ant
travel has given him a polish that car
be secured in no other way.
It may be a surprise, but there are al
most fifty college ball players in the TIVE
big leagues and ten times that many II
the minor organizations A lot of parents
college. and they couldn't do NOR
unwise thing. 1t is a known fact tina
many a valedictorian Of his class II
teaching school in the backwoods for $7o
a year while the star ball player OF th'
college Is drawing 5000 for six months
This causes the question to arise. is 1
better to be proficient in studies or ath
letics?
The White Sox have an old Georgetown
University battery in Doc. White ant
Hub Hart. Hart was also foot bal
star.
The University OF Illinois turned ou
FIVE great players In Jake Stahl of New
York Cy Falkenberg of Washington
Pfeifter Of Boston, Lundgren OF Chicago
and Beebee of St Louis. The success o.
Illinois on the diamond is not to be won
dered at when 1t is considered that fou
great pitchers like Beebee. Lundgren
Pfeiffer and Falkenberg all got thei
start there.
Two other colleges that have been grea
producers Of ball players are Notre DAM
and Holy Cross both Catholic instltY
tions. Noonan OF the st. Louis Nation
ais; Storke OF Pittsburg and Hoey ant
Carrigan of the Boston American hailet
from Holy Cross. Murray and Barry o
the st. Louis Cardinals. Powers OF tn
Athletics and Reulbach Of Chicago ar
Notre Dame men. :.
OtheH college men who are starring II
the big leagues are Birmingham ant
Lewis OF Cornell. Clarkson and Grant
Harvard. Lynch. Tenney and TIT