Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-22

land club has thrown down the gauntlet
to the other magnates of the American
League and is not the least backward in
saving that he Is after the pennant this
season, and after it with all his energy
and money. The Maps have come SO
close to the coveted mark the past couple
Of years that the genial Charley has at
last woke up and says there must be
something doing this year or bust.
At the recent meeting in Chicago 1t
was only a question OF naming your price
and Somers would come forward with a
rush. The dicker for Cy Young started
in a Toying sort of way between Taylor
and Sorners and as the Boston man
wouldn't stand for a bluff. the trade e.
sale was concluded. One Cleveland paper
saws that Mr. Somers paid over to Tay-
Tor $4,000 in cold cash. and. IN addition.
Put in CheCh and Ryan for good meas
ure. AS Mr.. Somers could nave soid
Chech for $500 and Ryan at the same
price making 81. 900 for the pair, the
total for Cy Young foots up sl7.5Oo quite
IL nifty piece of money.
Many would suppose that PRESIDENT
Somers is willing to stand pat with inns
trade. but he went for WIG tohroy me &c
a hungry trout after brilliant fly and Is
still willing to buy at almost any cost
Walking up to Manager Cantillon last
Thursday afternoon. Mr.. Somers said:
Joe, you have young man on g9ur
team who, we think, is on a par with
Joss and Cy Young. Would S2o'oo tempt
you TO part with him.?
ITS not a hard guess 10 figure out WHO
YOU mean, and | want to give you a !lttIe
tin The Washington club is capitalized
al S1NOO 600 and il you want to get that
Noungster you will have TO get hoid OF
about 81 per cent of the stock 10 90 SO
1t will only require about S6o,up but
that is about what L think the Kid IS
worth 10 us. . ,
Somers gave hearty laugh and strolled
away.
other magnates were approached by
Somers in The same vein, probably ilSur-
ing on Kidding match leading into
something serious, but in all seriousness
the president of the Cleveland club stands
ready to outbid any one for hrst-ciass
player.
Somers had the right dope on Walter
johnson at that. With Joss and Young
to help out the Cleveland players back
of that pitching trio would have to be
wooden men to lose the pennant
The most serious man at the meet
ing was Magnate Charles Comiskey. On
the surface the genial Charley was all
smiles, but just the same he was DONG
some tall thinking and planning. Al
though he gave out for publication that
he believed that Fielder Jones would re-
turn to him and head the White Sox
the coming season. to personal friends
IL was different story. COmlSkey KNOWS
he has lost his manager and he is Wor-
ried over the effect it will have on the
other players. Jones practically played
the whole outfield and kept Dougherty
and Hahn up 10 first-class work With
the blond-haired leader out of center
field Dougherty will look like the pro-
verbal so cents and Hahn like a post
age stamp.
So much for the White Sox outfield.
AS a manager Jones had to put on the
.1,- sy, 4 h<,
team to win recognition, but he was
there all the time and got it. Can you
imagine any one else running that team?
Billy Sullivan is too good a fellow for
the JON, although game to the core. but
il is reported he is slated for the posi-
ton. With the White SoX trailing in
the second division. more white hairs
will be added to Comskey's top-piece, and
he certainly has every reason to be wor-
Last year it was figured out that Comis-
key pulled down something like sl25OOO
on the season. With his team In the
second division. he will be lucky to make.
say. abaut 10000 The team will soon
start forrthe Pacific coast on its training
trip. and,it is no safe bet TO make that
r"Commy' does not run up to see Fielder
Jones and plank down the $4,000 which
Jones says Will draw him back to base
ball. Twenty thousand dollars Is big
sum of money. but when it will make a
hundred. thousand instead OF sixty it is
paying good interest on the investment.
So Jimmy Williams. despite his rugged
appearance and the favorable reports
about his condition must go to Hot
Springs for rheumatism. That's the first
,iean thing the year 1909 has chronicled
for the Browns. II may spell weakness
at second base this year. when. of all
Years, that stonewall infield needs every
'unce of efficiency. But James may get
his muscles to round into shape all right,
although it was rheumatism that put
Williams to the debit side of the ledger
late last season.
Few fans know how the name "Cy''
came to be applied to Denton T. Young,
who was sold to Cleveland by the Boston
club last Tuesday. After Young pitched
his second game for Cleveland in Au-
gust. 1890. a Forest city writer Jack
Foster. referred to the new pitcher as
Cyclone" Young. The name taken
up by the players on the Cleveland team.
Ed Mexican. shortstop. began calling
Young "Cy" as an abbreviation. In a
short time Youngs real given name be-
same only memory.