The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-05-05
old PLAYERS ARE
Being WEEDED OUT

X
The American league is entering up
on a new ara. When it acquired its
prominence as a rival of the National
league 1t secured its greatest strength
by inducing the majority OF the best
players of the old league to join the
newer organization. The result was
that the National league was forced
to beat the bushes for other men, and
it soon filled up it's ranks with younger
players who are now in their prime
while the stars that the American
grabbed from the National have re-
trograded
For the last two or three years, how
ever. the American has been welding
out the aged veterans, the ones that
took on too much weight, those that
lost their throwing arms, the ones
that became divorced from their form
er speed. New blood is taking the
place of these men that were once the
most famous in the business, and
within a few years there will not be
any of the old guard left.
1t was only a few years ago that
Buck Freeman, Chick" Stahl, Jim
my Collins, Kip Selbach. Bill Bern
hard, Case Patten, Jesse Tannehill and
Al Orth were counted among the best
in the land. In fact, each of those
mentioned. as well as others that are
now in the minors, received fancy
salaries as members of the American
league clubs.
Buck Freeman, the home run hit
ter, is now in the American associa-
| tion and finding trouble in hitting the
A. A. pitchers. In the same organiza-
tion are Charley Hickman, once the
idol of the Cleveland fans; Monte
Cross, Bunk" Congalton, Eddie Sic
yer, Roy Patterson, Otto Hess and
Frank Kitson.
Lave Cross is a class G magnate,
kip" selbach is showing ouly fairly
well in the Tri-State League, "Chick"
Stahl is dead, Jack Werner is about to
go to Texas to, manage the Galveston
club. Jim McGuir, has practically
quit as a player. Malachi Kittredge
is New York state league manager.
Jack O'Connor is merely a coacher,
and Fred Buelow has recently been
purchased by Montreal. Walter Clark
son has quit the game, Bill Bernhard
is Southern league manager, AL Orth
is managing a club in the Virginia
league, Jack Townsend is in the Tri-
State and Andy Coakley is now in the
National league.
Now "Sox'' Seybold and Jimmy Col
Inns have been released by Connie
Mack. Seybold will probably go to To-
ledo while Collins destination will be
Buffalo. Players that are destined to
follow them soon are George Davis,
Bill coughlin, Willie Keeler, Nick AIT
| rock, Frank Owen, Jesse Tannehill and
Case Patten.
In Seybold the American league
loses one Of it's unique figures. He
was the largest players in the circuit,
but for all his size ne got over the
man, while his great weight and
strength gave him tremendous hitting
power when coupled with the batting
eyes which he possessed.
He is not a very old player at that
He started with Cincinnati in 1S99
but was farmed out TO indianapolis
When the American league expanded
in 1901 he went along to Philadelphia
and has been there ever since AS a
home-run hitter. he has no rivals ex-
cept Buck" FreeE-n and Henry Da-
Wis.
His exit from the league was prob
ably hastened by an ;vc1dent he suf-
fered in New Orleans year ago,
breaking the bones in his ankle in
sliding into the home plate. This
kept him out of the game most of the
season and impaired his batting abili-
ty. He will probably go to Toledo as
manager now.