Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-15
MUST Be IGNORANT
Sport; Writer Who Intimates
Ball Games Are Fixed Not
Qualified for Job.
NOT KNOWN IN THREE-EYE
Fact That No Disgruntled Player
Ever Made Charge Is Evidence
Enough to Convince.

-
pers in the southern end of the Three
Eye circuit, dope singer" who, per
|haps, holds himself high in his own es
timation, busted himself in summing
up the possibilities of the preseason
games between the Rock Island and
Davenport teams next month, by say
ing that Tighe and Shaffer have prob
ably fixed them already.
OF course, no sane fan would take
| stock in such a statement, but for
the type of fan who only knows what
a bigger nut" than himself tells him.
such a statement is liable to be swal-
lowed without the usual wash.
| The idea of fixing" things at this
or any other stage of the game is
nothing more or less than ridiculous
and the sport writer who might de-
vote the hours for which he is being
Ipaid to enlighten the lovers of sport
to an article of the above description,
is either new at the game or possesses
a bump of knowledge which it would
take q microscope to locate.
| Used to Hear Ii.
| In years past, while Davenport was
a member of the Three-Eye, one might
often hear the remark, Its all fixed :
watch who wins the next game" This
franchise was taken to Clinton two
lyears ago and when the rivalry be-
tween the tWoreities was at its height.
Now it looms up again. Davenport
land Rock island have arranged for a
lseries of games to be played in April
Ieven break, with the idea that the even
break is fixed by the club managers
for the purpose of increasing the re
ceipts
1t is safe to say that in all of the
years Rock Island has been in base
ball. no fan ever heard a player OIL
manager remark that game had been
liked even by. a player who had beer
released suddenly in the middle of tn,
season, when, he would most likely be
angered by such thing. Under sucl
conditions a player who might think he
/
the management of a club, might bt
expected TO say as many bad thing:
as possible about The manager or cluI
president to do as much harm as pos
sible. Yet no player who has eve
worn Three-Eye uniform has mad,
such a statement after his release.
AS matter of fact, the manager o
. a baseball team would rather win
game than receive most any amour
of cash. Winning brings the onl
( credit he gets, and the only place fror
5 which he gets it is the fan. Stead
( losing, especially if any crookednes
seems connected with it, makes tn
life of both the manager and the pla,
/. Ier miserable. The throwing of game
( has been accomplished in other leagues
Q but seldom, if ever, without it bein
! found out later and the manager an
< player made TO suffer for. it.
) The manager, in order to throw
< game, must fix it with his player!
5 There are but few managers who hav
the good will of every player VIII
. dons a uniform for spring practic,
Surely some of these fellows ar
Z going to cut loose with all they know
3 and if a manager is crooked enough t
Z ask his players TO throw game, or t
. turn any other sort of crooked tricl
< it is bound to become known.
9 Worlds series Convincing.
p There is no better illustration of til
x fact that baseball in this day is on tIl
8 square than that given in the last tw
x worlds series between the Chicas
8 and Detroit champions of the Nation;
b and American leagues, respectively.
9 On both occasions the Cubs went
{, and walloped their opponents {
& though they were pack of scho,
8 kids. If the managers of these tw
K great ball clubs had put their heat
9 together in private and gone to the
q players with the word to Elk it." pc
@ haps it could have been agreed upo
: to lengthen the series to the linn
!, provided for by the national .commi
:, sion; but evidently neither of thes
managers cared to take chanc