The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-07-10
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The Few Who Did So When AZ ths
Height Of Their Ability.


The Few Who Did So When AZ the
Height Of Their Ability.
The lure of the diamond is SO strong
that few, vedy few. professional base
BAN players have retired from the
game as Fielder Jones did in the hey
deyN Of his career Jones, who was
the captain and manager OF the Chi
cago Americans and once led them to
victory in worlds series after win
ming the pennant in his own league.
made a complete renunciation of the
game He said he was going to quit,
and quit he did. All the persuasion
and inducements in the world could
not coax him back.
i With Jones IL was purely matter
Of business He had interests In Ore
gon which demanded his personal at
tention. His partner wanted him to
be with them, and as. there is no more
conscientious or STRAIGHTFORWARD per-
son to be found. he felt that he ought
to do So Much as he loved the ma
tfonal game and strong as was the
hold 1t had on him, he was firm in his
intention to say goodbye to the dia-
mond
So he voluntarily gave up. fine po-
sition as ball player and at the same
time deprived the game OF one of the
best players II ever had. As an OUT
fielder he was at the time of his re-
tirement the very best in the big
leagues. He was above the average
as an all around player. There have
been a good many retirements from
the big leagues, but not of the players
own preference, as in the case of
Jones. The causes which take play
ers from fast company are manifold.
Sometimes they grow too old some
| times they never had the ability to
keep up with the big leaguers, some
times they are sold back to the min
ors, sometimes injuries abruptly bring
their careers to a close.
John Ward was another of the few
who gave up baseball when he was on
the top wave. He was manager and
captain of the New Yorks when they
won the Temple cup in 1895 and could
have served several years more of USE
fulness both as manager and play
err He was playing well at second
base when he retired and was as
skilful as ever with the bat, but he
had made up his mind that 1t was
time to get to his law practice, and
nothing could induce him to stay in
the game. It wasn't easy shedding at
first but he had the determination
to carry II through.
Mike Donlin passed out as diam
ond celebrity when riding on the high
est wave of popularity. The stage
claimed him and the diamond lost him.
Like Jones and Ward, he was fond of
the game; but as thespian he
thought he saw brighter future than
the game could provide, particularly
as the New York club would not come
to his terms in the matter of salary
He has stuck to his guns, and the
chances are that the national game
no more will see this splendid hitter.
His case is not altogether analogous
to that of Jones and Ward for money
would have persuaded him to stick
IL wasn't money, however, with Big
Bill Lange, who when he was ith the
Chicago Nationals few seasons ago,
was a ne batter, a fine fielder and a
fine base runner. Lange was head and
shoulders above the general run of ball
players. He was so good a player that
1t was a pity that professional base
ball had to lose him. He married a
California girl went into business and
has not played ball since. He, too,
was in his prime as player when
he stepped down and out
Danny Richardson, the former Giant;
Dave Fultz of the New. York Ameri-
cans, Billy Lauder, last with the New
York Nationals and Jimmy Callahan
OF the Chicago White Sox are four
more players who gave up the game
when they were at the top OF their
ability Richardson quit to attend to
his dry goods business in Elmira;
Fultz quit to take up the practice of
law, Lauder went into mercantile
business, while Callahan's afiliations
with so-called outlaw teams drew him
from the big league fold
Mike Griffin was as good as ever
when he terminated his connection
with professional baseball The
Brooklyns sold him to the ST. Louis
club without his consent He said he'd
quit rather than go to st. Louis under
the conditions, and he kept his word.
He and the eight others named here
were all players above the ordinary in
ability.
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