The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-06-13
PLAYING BALL
is HARD WORK
(By Elmer Bates. In The Cleveland
Leader)

LeadeT.)
Do professional PLAYERS enjoy play
ing ball? Is IL any fun to the men
who make a living out OF It? Ask
a few of them and see what they
say, Most OF them Will answer "No,
| with emphasis. and the expression a
grizzly bear wears when YOU tread
on his sore toes. If you have ever
written baseball games, you will
know why, without asking The rea-
son the sport writer's go TO baseball
games Is TO write them, not TO enjoy
them And ii is the same with the
jlayers. They go 10 games To play
them, not to have fun.
Now and then you will see a man
who enjoys playing baseball. Usually
he Is a young man. who Is enthusl-
astic and ambitious. Every game is
an opportunity for doing great things.
and he buckles into II just bubbllng
over with enthusiasm. and has pic.
mic There are some folks who would
have a good time doing anything
But they are the exception
Thoee scowine Old Players!
Look at the players on the bench
when their side Is at bat Do you
see any signs OF huge enjoyment
there? Nary a one. The players
faces are tied up In scowls, or spread
out In the broad lines OF bored weari-
ness, OF course. when the play gets
exciting their faces light up but new
er with any appearance of pleasure.
except on the rare occasion when a
winning run comes across. And then
the light goes out quickly.
The folks on the seats OF the stand
and bleachers are the people who en-
Joy the game. The players are mere
ly those who are hired to amuse the
patrons of the park You would as
soon expect the actors In a comedy to
get amusement out OF playing 1t as
you would expect that ball players
would enjoy their part in a diamond
performance Note what a few of the
games most famous players say:
BY John j. McGraw.
The game of ball always took too
much out OF me. even back In the
kid days when l played hokey to
bat EN- around on the lots, The game
always hashed my nerves and un-
strung me so that l wasn't III to be
seen or heard for some time. even
after a scrub. skinner lot game
The trouble with me Is that 1 new
er could play any old kind of game
without getting all heated up over
It When as q tyke l played mar
bles OF shiny / was just as anxious
to win, and probably just as Multi
ganish and scrappy. as they call It,
as I'VE ever been since in a pro
fesslonal game of ball.
BY Clark Griffith.
Fun. Ell? Well. It's about the same
kind of fun for me as carrying the
hod or moving pianos would be. and
you can dope that out for yourself
l can't figure out where fans get
the idea that It's FUN for ball players
TO march out on a hot, sticky. sun
soaked lot every afternoon and sweat
and run around for couple OF hours
at the same old game that most of
them have been playing ever since
or before they began TO shave
You can take 1t from me. II the
average man had a date to play five
or six games of casino or blind mans
buff or prisoners base or puss in
the corner every summer afternoon
out In the open, with thousands OF
bowling critics looking on who think
they know more about the game than
the players themselves. he'd mighty
soon forget all about the funny part
OF that stuff.
BY Cy Young.
Id sooner take pick and trot out
In the sun for q couple of hours ey-
cry afternoon, and chop away at as
phalt- | think most of the old.tIme
pitchers have the same way of feeling
about II. even II they don't bulge 10
the front and say so.
pitcher is liable TO have the dis
taste of the game grow upon him
even more than the other players.
The best pitcher on earth never
knows how he's going TO perform
when his day to go In and work comes
around
he may feel all right and work out
all right before the game. and vet
go In and get slaughtered In the very
iirst inning, and then get dragged out
ana chased to the bench with the
whole mob bowling at him. The
dread of all this keeps a lot OF pitch.
ers awake nights as their days to 20
IN and work draw along
BY Fred Clarke.
Most of the work OF the player Is
done on the road In the cities OF the
opposition. where the fans are natu.
rally ag'ln him, and disposed 10 pIcl,
upon and 1eer at him at every stage
or the route. There's no cxaggerat-
ing the effect of this terrible strain
Ball players try, Of course, TO harden
themselves against the taunts of tho