The Washington herald., 1908-01-20
GLOVES MAKE STARS
Veteran Jerry Denny SAYS
Game Has Not Improved.
0LD-TIMERs HAD HARD ROWS
Were Forced TO Handle Liners grom
Bats OF Mike TfeFnan, Dan Broutb-
erS, Sam Thompson, and Roger
COnnOr without MIf-Think Present
PhenOms Would Have Been Dubs.

New York, Jan. BERRY Denny the
famous big league veteran who used 10
play third base without a glove. is here
from Bridgeport on a visit. He declares
that baseball has not improved.
"in my days you never heard Of d
team carrying twenty or twenty-five men
around with them, says Jerry. Nix. II
you had a lame back there wasn't any one
10 rub you, put you in bandages, and send
you 10 bed to stay there until cured IL
was case Of get out and play. DO the
best you can is what the manager would
hand you.
MANY a time my hands We're ripped.
or the flesh Of the finger torn away from
the nail, trying TO stop whopper but
the only consolation 7 got was go tie q
rag around your finger and play bali
And / had 70 do it. TOO. And don't make
any mistake about the way the big lel-
lows used 10 hit in those days. Take fel-
lows Ike Dan BrOUtheEs. Roger ConHor.
Sam Thompson, Nike Tiernan. and a few
others. They could lay the wood to the
ball for keeps, and when it came at you
the ball left a smoky streak.
couldn't have played with d glove if
tried. I simply wasn't brought up that
way and couldn't play unless my hands
were free.
Bail Didn't Hurt.
NO. the ball didn't hurt. My hands be-
came hardened 10 the knocks and
grabbed them barehanded as easily as
your DeyliH does with mis- heavy glove.
Once in while a bail took q bad bound,
and then there was blood and a lot Of
pain. But they wouldn't let you lay of
until you broke an arm or a leg.
I remember playing a game in Derby
when / was running team uD there.
and one day ] got out in the field with
one Of those, finger gloves that they use
now. And do you believe it, didn't
know how 20 catch the ball
Here is something I want % tell you,
and it is not meant as d knock, either.
II some Of those star ufelders OF OUT
felders we're to be asked % play without
a glove they would have 20 quit the busi-
ness They cut out the center # the
glove and il helps them to catch the ball,
because the old pellet sticks there
MY last appearance I'm New York was
Ia 1891 And I had a great side partner
at short in "PebbIy" Jack Giassc0ck.
There were rev thar ever had il On Jack
in his Dalmy days, and that goes for
your Wagners and your Eiberfelds too.
Il was that yeas that my arm went back
on me, and I simply had to stop I went
South and the arm improved, but I could
never get right Up North.
No Training Trips.
YES. tho present-day ball player has
a cinch compared to what we were I'D
against. In my days q club never thought
Of training down South. We stayed right
in town and worked indoors and when
the weather was clear jumped out and
played in the cold spring air. It simply
was case of set in condition the best
way you could. Now they send a team
South with a retinue of rubbers and
trainers.
You ask me about pitchers2 Well,
with the exception Of one o. two men,
particularly Tim Keefe / think the men
to-day are more scientific. Tim keefe, /
believe had the greatest slow BAN that
was ia a pitchers repertoire. He had
a deCeiving motion. and you simply
couldn't connect with il sqUareIy In my
days the pitcher was f0rty-ive feet away
from YOU. and stood in a six-f0ot box
He didn't have to keep his foot on the
rubber and hold the ball in front 0f him
all the time. Instead. ne could turn his
back TO you and take a short run, and
then hurl the ball. But We were always
there 10 lam IT,
They called me Home Run Denny
because l knocked out a homer in Phiia-
delphia one day. sending iu q couple Of
men and winning the game iu the four
teenth inning I used 10 paste 'em some
in those DAYS. but / guess If I tried 70
line 'em out now. some of those fellows
with the fade-away curve would put
three over the plate on me-
Denny is a prosperous hotel proprietor
up I'm Bridgeport. He gets 10 New York
a couple of DAYS each year 20 see the
Giants and Yanks play. Just now he is
trying 10 get a franchise or a managerial
berth I'm one Of the minor leagues.