The Detroit times., 1909-12-08
|CU BAN TOURISTS
SIGNING UP At
!. GREAT RATE
Manager Mcintyre Latest To Come
Into the Fold With Noisy"
BeckendoIf Following After,
Close Second.
Bill Donovan and Sam Crawford
Somewhat skeptical Over Alleged
Causes for Cuban Reverses.
BY PAUL 4. eRusKE.

Pausing for n few moments in his
mad career OF explaining how II had
all happened in Cuba, Manager Matty
Mcintyre. impresario OF ball playing
talent from THE States" affixed his
famous name 10 a Detroit contract Tor
1910 at the baseball headquarters
TUESDAY morning. Matty was shortly
sfollowed by Henry. better known s.
s"Noisy" Beckendorf "Beck" was sign
ed as catcher. not fret bastm
This he and President Nayin establish
ed as the basis OF their agreemeEi,
TO be sure. Beck" has never paraded
as anything but a backstop ~ his
native land. In Cuba. however, Beck
was forced To essay the initial sack,
He admits that he holds one OF the
records for the trip-nothing less than
six errors in six minutes.
Behind the bat Mr.. Beckendorf stfii
considers himself amply capable OF
delivering the goods His employers
hold like view. as we'll as the local
bugs.
The day developed the first real
explanation party s4ylse --ths~-return
of the temporarily eXpatriated Tiges.
To Bill Donovan. Sam Crawford and
other stay-at-homes.. Mcintyre. d.
Jones and Beckendorf extended their
tale of Woe. Apparently IL fell on
incredulous ears. Donovan remarked
that. i'm the DAYS he used 10 barnstorm
Cuba, the prevailing wager was based
on the assumption that the invaders
would or would not score 40 runs more
than the Almendares bunch-a wager
which. by the way, usually resulted IN
N win for the hackers of the Ameri-
-cans.
But that was before the war re-
sioined Mcintyre things have
changed a great deal Ask Willett'
Indeed no" replied Donovan III
I'd have been along il would have
been the same old story. No colored
man can connect with what | have to
offer when my blood is up
Sam Crawford seemed quite peeVed
over the way the other Tiges had been
chased of the island. lie showed q
marked change OF mental bias. how
ever when Mcintyre presented him
with a bat made of "mahowa' wood.
4The spelling on this is not guaranteed
hut the hitting qualities are warranted
sbv the Tigers who saw the sticks
sin use by the CubaDs In fact "Muchc
smahowa" was the prevailing remark
made by the crowds as they filed out
of the park
The bat is light and not turned TO
Mr.. Crawford's model ~ yet but he
will remedy this defect and try II OUT
in the spring trip that is now not so
very far away. faint shade or
green is manifest in the wood which
seems radically different from any
thing before seen in the big leagues.
Aside from the signing OF the two
tourists the most important piece or
information current at the local office
was the announcement that, contrary
TO first idea, the Tigers viii take Pete
Lister. the former Cleveland first
.sacker, south for a trial in the spring.
Lister is lefthanded throwing
and hitting first sacker and led the
Tri-State league with a battling aver
age OF $50. fielding performance
that was virtually perfection. and a
general display OF excellence that was
simply shocking Lister was drafted
M an expenditure Of $500 and was not
greatly thought OF on account of his
being discarded by the Maps and
Toledo. In each case, however, eN-
tenuating circumstances have come to
light. Charlie Carr says that he be-
lieves Lister amply able to make good
I'm the big league and his opinion is
considered of great weight by Presl
dent NaYin.