Evening star., 1908-12-20
|OLO PLAYERS ARE
BEING WEEOED OUT
American Leaguers Secured
From National League Are
!. Going Backward.

The American League is entering upon
a new era. When it acquired Its prom
inence as a rival Of the National League
it secured its greatest strength by in
ducing the majority Of the best players
in the old league to join the newer or
ganization. The result was that the Ma
tional League was forced to beat the
bushes for other men, and it soon filed
up its ranks with younger players who are
now in their prime, while the stars that
the American grabbed from the National
have retrograded.
For the last two or three years. how
ever, the American has been wedding out
the aged veterans. the ones that took on
too much weight, those that lost their
throwing arms, the ones that became .di-
vorced from their former speed. New
blood is taking the place of these men
that were once the most famous in the
business. and within few years there
will not be any Of the old guards left.
1t was only a few years ago that
Buck Freeman, Chick" Stahl, Jimmy
Collins, Kip" Selbach. Bill Bernhard.
Case Patten, Jesse Tannehill and Al
Orth were counted among the best In the
land. In fact, each of those mentioned.
as we'll as many others that are now In
the minors, received fancy salaries as,
members OF the American League clubs.
Old Bucky Freeman.
Buck" Freeman, the home-run hitter,
is now in the American Association and
finding trouble in hitting the A. A. pitch
ers. In the same organization are Charley
Hickman, once the idol of the Cleveland
fans; Monte Cross, Bunk" Congalton,
Dot
and Frank Kitson.
Lave Cross is a class c manager, "Kip''
Selbach is showing only fairly well in the
Jack Warner Is about to go to Texas to
manage the Galveston club. Jim Nc
Guire has practically quit as q player
Malachi kittredge Is New York State
ly a coacher and Fred Buelow has re-
Gently been purchased by Montreal. Wal
ter Clarkson has quit the game, Bill
Bernhard is q Southern League manager,
Al Orth Is managing q club in the Vir-
ginia League. Jack Townsend is in the
Tristate and Andy Coakley is now in the
National League.
seybold will probably go to Toledo. while
Collins destination will be Buffalo.
Players that are destined to follow them
soon are George Davis, Bill Coughlin,
NJ
Jesse Tannehill and Case Patten.
Collins May, Go to Buffalo.
Jimmy Collins will probably wind up
his base ball career right where he
started in his home town. Buffalo. 1t
was some fourteen or fifteen years ago
that Collins work with the North Buff
falos, an amateur club, attracted the at
tention Of the management of the Buffalo
club. The home boy was given trial
winter Boston purchased him and Chick
Stahl, the latter having pitched and
played center for Buffalo. Boston played
Collins in the outfield, where he failed to
shine. Louisville needing a player. Col
lins was then loaned. The manager OF
the Colonels sent him to third base, his
real position, and since that time he has
never been called upon to play any other
spot. From six to ten years ago Collins
was at his best. Under his management
the Boston Americans won two pennants
and one worlds championship. He al
ways starred as q batter. but 1t was as
third sacker and a brainy player that he
fielding. he was second to Wallace In
1898, second to Lave Cross in 1899 and
1900. fourth to Bradley in 1901. third to
Cross and Coughln in 1907, third TO ran,
nehill and Bradley in 1908, while he led
the third sackers in 1904. Since 1904 his
fielding has not been sensational.
Seybold a Mighty Swatter.
In Seybold the American League loses
one of its unique figures. He was the
largest player in the circuit but for all
his size he got over the ground as well
as many a lighter man. while his great
strength and weight gave him tremendous
hitting power when coupled with the bat
ting eyes which he possessed.
He is not very Old player at tnat.
He started with Cincinnati In 1899. but
was farmed out to Indianapolis. When
the American League expanded in 1901
he went along to Philadelphia. and has
been there ever since. AS home-run
hitter he had no rivals except BUCK
Freeman and Harry Davis.
His exit from the league was prob
ably hastened by an accident he suf-
fered in New Orleans O year ago, break
ing the bones Of an ankle In sliding
into the home plate. This kept him out
of the game most of the season and I'M
paired his batting ability. He Will proo-
ably go to Toledo as manager now.