Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
FIRED TENNEY ON
SUMMER BASE BALL
Defends Young College Players
and Praises His Own
Profession.

veteran 1rT DaSefnan, ffcu ienreN. lhT
the Boston Post. the great bail player
comes out strongly in support OF sur
mer base bail for college students, and
takes occasion also to eulogize the pro
fession which he has so Loyalty followed
tor the past fifteen years.
\ college graduate himself. and on" Or
TIE cleanest and best th,t old Brown
diversity has ever produced. Tennevs
words cannot fall 10 impress hasn bal
fars. college men and every ono witt
enough red blood in his veins to apprc
ciate the merits or the great national
game.
Wien man enters the profession l."
feels he is fittest to follow. let him make
Il his life work 1hs is true whether tie
profession chcs IN he medicine. tho chuTci.
tie law or base ball 1t becomes his
means o. livelihood. and the harder he
works the more consctentiously ne de
votes himself TO it the greater viii he
tie remuneration ard the greater tie
credit conferred upon both that prote>-
sion and himself.
After fifteen years OF professional bass
ball after a decade and a half of clos"
and exciting strife upon the DIAMOND.
can look back upon the day j graduate
from Brown University and say with al
honesty that | am glad / adopted base
ball.
Not that have acquired wealth or
even laid the foundation o. fortune.
don't expect TINT ! will ever be rich
man I have ambition 10 become either
manager or magnate. and don't expect
thai my name will ever appear In the
list @; Winthrop heaviest taxpayers.
bat I feel that i'll devotirg tire best wears
Of my life to an honOrabla procession
have done both nature and common
sense dictated and when I retire from
base ball VII feel happy in the accom-
f,1.a hi
Base Ball Profession Honorable.
For the base ball profession is as non
oral,Ie as any other \ man can dig
nifty any profession. God has given
| every man talents that lie along
certain line and if that man follow them
| to the best advantage and serve the
profession ne chooses faithfully. then an
| honor to the man ana al hcnor 10 tie
profession.
| Years ago the professional ball play
| er was not rega rded in exactly the same
| light as he Is today. But that was sim
ply because the American public had not
| begun to appreciate the absolute honesty
Of the game. nor the sterling character
| of tie men who chose to adopt II as "A
! means OF livelihood.
But TODAY a considerable portion or
tie men playing In the pig, pas leagues hsue are
! their degrees, some Of them have eX-
| celled in languages. literature and otner
. branches and their ability would UNI
doubtedly have insured them CONTEXT
| able future had they chosen TO follow
| one Of the Eo-called learned PROBES
SONS But they have preferred TO fol.
| low base ball. and / have yet to hear or
| an instance where single colIese man
| has regretted the choice made.
No Overcrowding in Base Ball.
Some of them undoubtedly have found
! the profession far more remunerative
than their selection of law or medicine
as a means Of livelihood would have
! allowed l know many college man
OF my time who got his sheepskin. went
into one Of the professional schools, and,
graduating in the course OF time, put
out his single, only to find the strus-
gle Tor existence in an overcroWded pro-
i fession difficult one. But the base pan
profession can never be overcroWded. AS
il is today there are not nearly enough
PLAYERS CT merit to go around.
| This brings me TO the question or
summer base ball-base ball played pE
! students during the summer vacation
for money considerations practice
which has been frowned upon by coiiese
authorities and supporters or pure a'h-
ietics'' for years past. but which is no"
seemingly finding favor with those ais
| po,ed TO take a more liberal view of the
matter.
To College on Base Ball Earnings.
Il want to say right here that III"
college man who goes to college FOR the
sake Of an education, not for an athletic
training. has every right in the world
l., devote the talents that God gave hin
, TO a legitimate and lucrative use during
the summer vacation ! will candidly ad-
init that only for summer pase pan
could never have graduated from Brown
But for the money l made during the
| long summer months could never have
!. paid my way through college, and
know scores Ct college graduates VINO
II do not believe IN the professional
student idea. | have absolutely no SYM
patty with the practice OF settihg STU
dents TO enter college Just soieiy on az
count of their athletic proves. whether
| they excel in base bail. foot ball or any
other sport. But the student who goes
TO college TO get an education and puiS
his athletic ability TO remunera'lH q
use in the summer time should ps aI'
means be encouraged.
There Is no discrimination against
man entering a business office In Ne
| summer time and working during Naca =
ten Scores Of students go TO the sum
mer hotels and work as walters. others
follow up various lines during the sum
mer to lay by money for tuition ana
other expenses but they donl seem I"
barred from competing for place on
! their college teams and the college let
ter is theirs II they can win place on
the team.
4 But Just simply because man puts
, the talents that God gives him TO
, legitimate use, because he chooses
healthy. active mode Of living during tho
summer, and gets recompensed for II:
ne IS put under ban, as 1t were. ana
! debarred from sharing in the privileges
; that every other man in the college en- :
!; joys-the chance to compete Tor place
on his college team and the proud dis
tinction of wearing the college letter
. should he make good
Give the poor student a chance. and
II he can make profitable use OF his
talent for ball playing dc not count il
against him. The student could not
choose more honorable method of max
: ing the badly needed money: the game or
base ball throws him in contact with
clean. honest sports. who honor ho'!i
tie game and themselves, and by so do
, ing You may add to the number Of pro-
fessional men who either in base ball or
some other line will do credit 10 their
, alma mater. their associates and them
: selves N after life.
pon Tao uord