Evening star., 1909-03-07
HAVE LONG
TERMSW|TH CLUBS
Manager Chance Longer With
One Club Than Any
Other Man.

Frank Chance. captain and manager OF
the Chicago National League base bal
club. two times worlds champion, has
finished his tenth consecutive year OF
service with that organization. He has
been with one club longer than any other
professional player now IN the diamond
arena. There are not many players who
have never been with more than one
club Considering the number of players
in the big league fold, they are few and
far between.
Chance has serv>d with only one team
since coming into major league ranks
but in that time he has been employed
by two owners The first was Jim Hart
and the second Charlie Murphy. Chance
Joined the Chicagos in 1898 as a catcher.
He also has played the outf1eld for them,
and from a raw recruit has worked his
way up to leader OF the strongest base
ball team in existence, and considered by
many the greatest ever organized.
His is the reward OF merit, and, not
being a rolling stone. he mas gathered a
share OF moss. Yet to be a rolling stone
in base ball does not imply improvidence.
nor is 1t reflection on the ability OF
the player. There are players who have
changed about who are performers OF
the highest class. and who have laid
aside nest eggs OF comfortable size. They
have stuck TO their work none the less
faithfully for having roamed under Va
rious banners.
Seven Years With Chicago.
Johnny King is another warrior under
the Cub standard who has not played big
league ball elsewhere. He came to the
Chicagos in 1901, and has been there ever
since. catching many games each year,
taking the pounding of many pitchers
season after season and with no falling
off in the quality of his work.
He is one Of those day-in- and day out
catchers who do all the better work
for doing a great deal of It. The back
stop is the recipient Of more actual bat
tering than any other one man on a team.
and in view, of this fact it is somewhat
surprising that some OF them-such as
Killing, Bresnahan, DOOM and Sullivan
can do so much work and do it so well.
Eddie Plank, the crack pitcher of the
Athletics, has been with that team for
seven consecutive years, and with NO
other. He has come to be as much of a
fixture in Philadelphia as Chrsty Ma
thewson has in New York. Like Plank
Mathewsor's big league career has been
confined to one team. He pried his way
into major company the same year as
PIank-19O1.
The New Yorks came mighty near los
ing Mathewson on a couple Of occasions
one When he was about to jump to the
ST. Louis Browns during the war time
and Cnce when he was traded to Ciucin-
natl for RuSie, but was traded back be-
fore the season opened. In 1905, when Ma
thewSOn and Plank faced each other on
the slab In the opening game OF tine
worlds series, each had come 10 his re
specttve club an unknown. and in the in
term become famous in the same length
ri re
Have Stuck to Dreyfuss.
Fred Clarke. Tommy Leach and Hans
Wagner are conspicuous examples of mer
who have been true to one boss, although
they have not been with one club all the
time they have been in the National
League. They have, however, been with
one employer all that time-Barney Drey.
fuss.
They were with Dreyfuss when he
owned the Louisville club. and came with
him to Pittsburg. In due time they Will
pass out. possibly playing in some other
city before retiring, though that is not
likely, but when they do step down and
out Pfttsbursers will feel that they have
sustained a personal loss, so firmly have
Clarke. Leach and Wagner become part
and parcel Of the Smoky city base ball
and its traditions. Pittsburg has helped
make them famous, and they have done
the same for Pittsburg
Fred Tenney was a faithful toiler for
the Boston Nationals for even longer than
Chance has been with the Chicagos but
Tenney no longer is identified with the
fortunes of the Hub. He arrayed himself
with the Boston forces in 1897. proba bly,
is as good a ball player as he ever was
and vet he now is seeking his livelihood
in another field. That's the way in base
ball.
The New York club wanted him, and Of
fered such inducements that the Boston
club thought it was advantageous to let
him go. 1t was business. The show has
got to go on. Tenney will not suffer finan-
cially or artistically by the change, and
what has sentiment TO do with the ever
present demand Of the rOoters that a
team keep strengthening?
Two other Pittsburg stand-bys are the
two pitchers. Sam Lever and Deacon
Philippe. They are as thoroughly in
grained in the Pirate base ball fabric as
cotton in calico. Both have been with
the Pittsburg club steadily since 1900. and
have known no other master.
Only the owner OF the Philadelphia
Americans has signed the checks that
have rewarded Chief Benders diamond
services since he has been a member of
the national games elite. The Indian
pitcher Joined Connie Mack's team in
1909. Carl LundSren of the Chicago Ma
tionals and Bob Ewing of the Cincnna It's
have done all their big loagIIe pitching