Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-04
PLAYERS RECEIVE
EVERY ATTENTION
Big Leaguers of Today Are
More Petted Than Opera
Singers.

| LOS ANGELES, Cal, April al won
der IL the ball players of the present time
realize how much better off they are than
the stars of the old days" said Ted Sulli-
van. father of leagues, today. as he
watched Buck" the colored trainer of
| the White Sox. hustling around caring
| for his charges as If they were invalids.
Just see that. now There's that young
giant lit was Scott. Chicagos new pitch
ing find) going to the bench after an
| easy inning and the trainer holding his
sweater for him and ready to massage his
arm as If it we're pure gold and set with
diamonds. John Clarkson would turn
over in his grave If he could know of such
tender care being given twenty-one-
year-old boy whose arm is as strong as an
oak. Well. well. when you come to think
of it. how times have changed in the base
| bail business.
Why" unused Ted, when Radbourne
pitched twenty-seven consecutive games
| for me when I was manager of the 81.
| Louis team in "a. he didn't know what II
| was to have some one standing around
ready to give his wonderful pitching arm
a rub. And he went on winning ms
games. too. Twenty-one victories out OF
| twenty-seven consecutive games What
| would these modern pitching wonders
think of doing all that work and with no
| body to minister unto them between
| innings?
The Game Is Progressing.
WELL I suppose this training business
| is in line with the march of progress In
base ball, but at that 1 don't believe We
have any better pitchers today than Rao-
bourne Carruthers. Sweeney, GARRISON
and Foutz. All. that was the golden era
Of pitchers! What might those great lei
lows have done had they been gwen the
grooming that the present-day t"iriers
| recelve.
| The advent of the trainer among the
ball teams is of quite recent date: mat
his services are needed must De tahen 10y
| granted. since every ball team III the
major leagues has one at least pa.t VI
the season, and not few OF the MINOR
league clubs employ trainer curing Tue
early part of the year. while the pltcn-
ers are rounding into FORM !. ,...
If star player has corn on ms ~. ~.
toe or any minor blemish 1t is watched by
the trainer with all the care given a
prima donna's vocal cords.
IF things keep going on this way saio
Ted Sullivan. 1.-The club will soon nave 70
provide a valet for each player 10 carry
| his glove out to him.
| speaking of gloves continued the
watchful Sullivan. who by the way.
| formed the first minor league. 1T was
the introduction Of those fine fielding
gloves that caused the first big decrease
| in batting Base hits are knocked down
| and smothered nowadays when the
| fielders of twenty years ago couldn ne
gotiate But at that ] believe the gloves
are a good thing They may take a little
away from the ruggedness Of the game
| but / guess there is no danger of the ma
tional pastime becoming effete.
Sensational Plays Liked.
spectators like to see the wonderful
catches and running scoops of ground
hits Without the use of the glove the
felders couldn't handle 20 per cent OF the
difficult chances they do now
| Some of the patrons of base ball may
argue to do away with the gloves il it
would result in more base hits. But I
want to say that those same fans would
was increased.
I'VE hear good deal about give :. us
lit Is not more hitting that the public
hit more in every case. That's all. They
don't want the opposing team to be drlV-
ing the ball all around the field.
watch ball games in every big league city
and almost every minor league city every
season. and it is invariably the case that
when the visiting club Is on a hitting
rampage the fans are disguised They
like to see their own boys hit. but when
they holler.
mo. there is batting enough right now.
1t Is the 1 to game that people ike to
talk about. A mess of runs In one inning
often sends a part Of the crowd home. or
course. / like to see batsmen get on the
bases fairly often by hitting the ball hard
and so does every fan. But when they
begin completing the circuit In droves IT
in a minute and the interest is Slapped
| out of the contest, for 1t seldom happens
that both sides are killing the ball at the
same time
Always Catered to Public.
Perhaps no man has had his finger
on the base ball fans pulse more in
| tently than James A. Hart who used
to own the Cub team. 1t was Mr..
Hart who originated the foul-strike rule.
compelled it's adoption after long fight
| and soon saw it universally accepted. Mr..
Hart advocated its passage to shorten
| games. 1t also decreased the batting to
| quite an extent. He was glad Of that too.
for he claimed by making scores smaller,
and therefore closer, the public had man.
ifested greater interest in the games
THE public pays the bills said Mr..
| Hart so why shouldn't We give the
| people what they want?'
| Getting back to the comparatively easy
time the modern pitcher has, Scout Sui
livan has called attention to the few de-
| man0S put upOn pltClicI III OlilcI uc-
partments OF the game. aside from pitch
| ing He reminds us that nothing is
expected Of a pitcher when he goes to
bat. and he never is asked to 60 out
| and steal a base.
"Oh, we'll. what do you expect ?-he is
only a pitcher the fans say when the
| twirler goes to bat, steps back nearly
into the water bucket and strikes out
Few Pitchers Can Bat
Only the pitcher. indeed" says Sulli-
van. We'll. Bobby Carruthers and Dave
Foutz were only the pitchers. too, but
nothing could keep them from cracking
the ball and running bases like deer
This may be an age of specialists. but
/ think it is carrying matters too far
! when a pitcher is exempt from every
| thing but hurting the ball over the plate
| once in four days
Some people have even gone so far
| as to advocate that a pitcher be ex-
| cused entirely from going to the bat,
That is all wrong, according to my no
| ton OF course. there is good reason
| why pitchers shouldn't be expected to
| hit quite as we'll men who are in
the game every day. They don't get the
| practice at the bat. But they make
| a mistake to take their poor showing
with the stick as joke. Their base
| hits are usually the most effective be-
| cause they are least expected. and thew
bring up the head Of the list, which is apt
| to start a rally.
| away from the pitchers of today. for
ltI,a f,rl