Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-12
MIKE KELLY WAS
A BRA|NY FELLOW.
----
Some Original "stunts" Pulled
Off by Him On the
Diamond.
------ -------i
He WAS A FAST THINKER.
He WAS A FAST THINKER
Few Interesting Tales Related by
Thomas +. Mccarthy. an Old
Time Baseball Star.

Thomas F. Mccarthy, the old ST.
Louis and Boston National baseball
playerain commenting on King Kelly,
said without a question Mike Kelly
was the greatest baseball player who
ever got into q. professional game.
There We're lots of crack players
like Buck" Ewing and Bennett and
Camel, but they all had to bow their
heads before Kelly when it came to
brains, baseball brains Kelly was far
and away the brainiest player J. ever
saw.
Of course. there are plenty of folks
who remember him. and ] suppose
there are hundreds of anecdotes about
him He was man about whom
anecdotes could easily be written,
for he was doing something all the
time on and off the field. 1t would
take a book Just to tell OF the do
ings of Kelly on the field in the heat
of hard-fought games
They don't play the kind of ball
now that Kelly showed when at his
best. The rules are against much of
it, not that his playing was dirty,
It was nothing like that. He simply
did lots Of things for the first time,
that's all. and rules We're hastily
made to provide against them in the.
future.
For instance, on all hits to right.
field when Kelly was on first or
second, he seldom touched third
base. 1t used to make the bleacherites
howl in glee when they saw him cut
the base ten OF Is feet and make
home by a fancy slide.
/ remember when Boston got him
for $4,000 from Chicago. He was a
wonder then, and in the first ten days
he made more hits, stole more bases
and scored more runs than all the
rest Of the team His work was truly
phenomenal. The old records tell Of
his great playing better than ] can in
figures, and all such like, but the
books do not tell how he did it.
Kelly was a great base stealer for.
several reasons. In the first place, he,
always took plenty of room, more
room than the average man Of his
time did. This counts a great deal.
in successful base stealirg. He wasn't
particularly fast. nor anywhere near
as fast as Wagner or Ty Cobb. but he
got there, and that's what counts.
No man guarding 4 bag ever had
more of Kelly to touch than his feet.
He never came into a. bag twice in
the same way. He twisted and turn
ed as he made his famous Kelly
Slide and seldom was he caught. He
was a regular boxer with his feet
when sliding onto bases.
DURING WORLDS SERIES.
Just 20 show what mean by kellys
brains, let me instance a play in the
worlds series between Boston and
Cleveland. Jesse Burkett was on third
with two out. The batter hit to Her
man Long, at short and the Dutchnlan
got the ball over to Tommy Tucker
Just a shade too late The Grab
started for home at the crack of the
bat.
The moment Kelly heard the umpire,s
safe. ;" he dropped his mitt as il the
man had been called out. This slowed
MP Burkett. Then Kelly turned like a
flash. signaied for the ball and, catch
ing itin his bare hand, stopped Bnrkett
with his legs and got him just as easy
as winking. Never was there any 9TH
er player in the game who had the