Evening star., 1909-04-25
Do PLAYERS EVER
LOSE THEIR NERVE2
By John J. Evers.
Second Baseman Champion Cubs"

! By John J. Evers.
| Second Baseman Champion Cubs
1t is a strange fact that the losing
team in a worlds championship series is
always dubbed "a crowd of quitters" by
the base ball-loving public 1 know this
both from observation and from expert
ence. for I have been on a losing nine
| in 1906 when the White sox trimmed us.
| The base ball public are tickle and their
moods strange and mysterious. but this
particular phase has always been puzzle
10 me- Surely, they know that some
team must lose. II it were only the rabid
partisan who sent up the cry 1t would not
be surprising, but old experienced fol-
| lowers of the game are just as bitter in
their condemnation and abuse as the most
ardent and vociferous lover of the home
team
For instance. take the series In 1908
| between the Boston Americans and the
Pittsburg Nationals. 1t was the opinion
of almost everybody that Honus Wagner,
the great shortstop. lost his nerve and
quit. Being young at the time and rather
inexperienced I was one of the knockers.
But / have been through it all since.
winning and losing. and / know that
such was not the case. If there IS one
player above another who needs nerve
to succeed in ordinary games, let alone
championships, it Is that same wonderful
man. Wagner. In the National League
he Is a marked man. Every player works
against him. for he knows his wonderful
ability: every pitcher does his best to
fool him. for he fears his mighty stick;
vet. despite it ell. he shines resplendent
and continues to be the greatest of the
great.
In 1905 the Philadelphia Athletics. after
their defeat by the Giants. came in for
their share Of the abuse. and the next
year we were the unlucky victims. The
same fell to the lot of the Detroit Tigers
defeated by us in the last two contests
for the worlds supremacy. l know from
experience In the series with the White
Sex that most of our boys didn't realize
that they had been beaten until after
they had gone to their homes and started
to correspond with one another. In every
game there was the same do-or-die spirit
the same determination to win, even
when it must have been evident to the
spectator that hope had fed. Never was
there any talk Of letting UP CT any Dues
tion OF anything but ultimate victory
It was case OF go, go. go: no stopping
or losing heart. and the talk of quitting
would be laugha BILE. If it wasn't 80 unjust
and ranking to the player. The same
spirit infamed the Detroit Tigers IN all
their games with US. Even when We led
them by five or six runs. we never dared
to ease up or consider them lightly. We
knew the spirit that was urging them on,
respected and. in way, feared it. Only
too we'll did we realize they needed but
the slightest opening TO- jump IN and
wrest away the laurels of victory.
1t is a rank case of injustice on the
part OF the people to call the nerve Of
the players into question, merely be-
cause the team has been beaten in a
the honor Of representing his league in a
worlds championship fight. after long
and grueling league season. when every
one tries his hardest 10 down the ones
that are on top. there should be no talk
Of quitting. Every major Lacquer has as
on worlds greatest team. He dreams
of it and talks OF 1t and works his head
Off for it. And when he finds himself on
q team that is about to contest for this
game! What thoughts are his and what
wonders.. The nervous strain is terrible.
can imagine that soldier. Just before
a big battle feels as A ball player does
that he should be little shaky or slight
~ off color? Think Of what depends on
each individuals work. If he makes a
slip. ever 80 slight. he may lose the series.
spoil the great work Of his team mates
call down the wrath of the owner and
manager on his unfortunate head and
throw away a snug little fortune for
each OF his fellow-players as we'll. The
ball player is only human. RESPONSE
bility will tell on him just as quickly as
then, of your criticism of the man who
may make trifing misplay. It's all
in the game. If it we're not for the very
fact that a game is never won until the
last man is out. owing to the liability Of
errors and misplays creeping in. our
national pastime would net be what 1t
is today--the greatest sport in the
world. The men who play the game
ttacs ~ ~r,ho
what the strain is. never question the
man who errs. 1t Is the outsider
viewing things from comfortable seat
in the grandstand and knowing nothing
Of the real facts, who makes the trouble.
Another evil that has entered into the
sport in the last few years Is the annual
wrangle as to how the money is to be
divided between players and owners
after post-season series. In most
cases the players are shown up In
la poor light as avaricious money-grabbers
Reflections are cast on their honesty,
integrity and character. In my opinion.
this is an even greater injustice than the
criticism and blame before referred to-
The men Of the diamond are honest. and.
as q rule, open handed and hearted. and
they would suffer nothing, In so far as
manliness is concerned. were they to be
compared with any Of the club owners
or other big officials of the national
game.
Much needless discussion is always
brought up when the question of division
of the prize money among the players
themselves arises. There Is newspaper
talk OF disgruntled subs who are kicking
because they are not to receive as much
as the regular players. This Is. for the
most part, just newspaper talk" for
the matter is generally settled by the
ones most concerned In a few moments,
without any of the fights and arguments
we read about. The men who have
played perhaps one or two games. or
L
ceiye the same share as those who have
won for the team the opportunity to get
the money. nor do they expect ii. Mat
tiers are arranged amicabiy, despite all
talk to the contrary.
'rhe ,aeddino of MirS Annie cd