Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
BASE BALL HAS
ITS SCOUTS NOW
Newest Wrinkle in the Game
to Secure Valuable
Young Players.

Base ball IS by no means non-progres-
sive. Being a good American game, 1t
partakes OF the American idea of hustle.
Some owner tries an innovation. and the
frst thing one knows the plan is gener-
aiJ aJopted-if it happens to be some
thing which looks like a success.
Now arrives the official base ball scout
new and the outgrowth of the last two
Of three years.
The scout is as busy as mosquito
with d double-barreled singer. Ne
travels around almost as much as a con-
nierciai citizen who is selling molasses on
as r,any yards Of base ball statistics at
his fingers ends as city bank cashier
has knowledge OF all kinds Of currency.
What does the scout do?
Well, one day he is somewhere up in the
country, watching player on a minor
league team. The next he may be back
at the furthest cross roads looking over
some green chap who never has played
with a league, but who has so much base
ball ability that somebody has seen him
and reported him to the scouts employer,
or to the scout himself. The day after that
he may be travelling with a trolley league.
stopping Off at the place OF the game. to
look over some OF the trolley leaguers"
A week from that time he may be away
OFF in another part OF the country taking
a line On base ball material in that sec
ton.
Must Be a Man of Judgment.
The scout must be a good Judge OF what
there Is in young ball player. If the
presumable candidate for future honors
can DO nothing but bat. and has a bad
arm, and is slow on his feet the scout
| must be able to gather correct impress
| sion as to whether he is worth picking up
! Us an experiment
= Md ,tpv =
second edition of Jerry Denny ne
/ must, in a quick survey. oe able to make
up his mind whether the youngster looks
as IL he will ever be able to do anything
with the bat against pitchers of ia me.
II he is looking al pitcher who is wild
Z Is his Dusiness to form all opinion and
form II on the spot as to whether the
| wildness may be cured by good coaching
or whether it is something which is likely
, TO hang on so long as the man plays ball
=, because Of eXcitable nerves.
! He has got to form hasty estimate as
20 the amount OF ordinary intelligence
mich a youngster seems 10 have. If he
looks and acts like dulard 1t is ten TO
one that lie will never get along in a
major league, even IL he is given the best
Of training. If he picks up points readily
and is alert and looking for more hnowl-
edge about the game. the chances are
that lie Is worth q trial.
The scout is an agent with a rowing
commission. no combines the elements
of good judgment and ready business wit
for he wouldn't be much of scoit II he
should happen to make find and then
permit the find to get away from him to
a rival.
Louis Heilbronner out in the west is a
professional scout He takes the tra
for the Cincinnati and ST. Louis teams
Tom" DAILY has been appointed chief
scout for Brooklyn. Dan Brouthers
scouts for the Giants every now and
then. When McGraw hears of some play
err who possesses those little qualifications
which are dear TO the McGraw heart, bis
Dan" slips quietly out of the city ano
drops in unexpectedly at some ball game
far away from the busy haunts of Broad
way.
Ted" Sullivan has secuted a great dea
in his time. and is still scouting, anC
there are three or four gentlemen who
are In the scout business who do not Xix,
TO have 1t known. They fear that the,
would lose their reprt atoms for 900,
work with the owners II 1t should harper
to leak out that they are engaged il
grabbing bail players here and there
when they are supposed to be IN som.
town on insurance business or To lool
over real estate bargains.
Does II pay team to have scout?
i No one ever heard any profess!ona
base ball club owner srowl when h
found a player who was a bargain. Cues
that's the answer.
1t is not necessary for Il Scout 10 wea
nnoccas.ns or q slolch hat Some of then
are fond o. patent leather shoes ant
pansmas.
1; IS not always true that a good scou
can be a good manager. although thef
are some scouts who could be no "0rs
than some managers. This Is merely III
wo-ded this way than it might in som
other.