Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
SHARP-BLADED SPIKE HAS
COME TO STAY IN BASE BALL
Club Owners Will Not Adopt Non Cutting
Device for Fear Of Making Game Too
Tame-St. Louis Roasts McAleer.

! the American League and to Mr.. HedSes
was not one-half so faithful as their
service to him. The one mistake that mr.
Hedges made in base ball was the reten-
ton OF Mr.. McAleer after 1904 Contrary
to report. McAleer had a free hand. He
bought and sold and traded players as
he pleased. He paid as much as 5000 for
player without even consulting Mr.
Hedges. Mostly his trades were good
But he had the players on the field that
could have won the championship i'm l'WS.
and he, and no other man. quit Geld, fell
fat down and finished fourth when the
campaign. If Mr.. Johnson feels like re-
warding Mr.. McAleer. and We submit
that his reward has already been beyond
his deservines. we earnestly do entreat
beg and implore that it be at the expense
of the altruistic Col. COmiskey or some
other person and city. and not at the
expense of ST Louis. For this town has
already suffered much at the hands OF
Mr.. McAleer. and submits that 1t has
done it's duty to him, to Mr.. Johnson and
to the American League. ST. Louis parts
from Mr.. Hedges with genuine regret
His one mistake was being too faithful to
Mr.. McAleer. 1t parted joyful1y with
Mr.. McAleer. wishing him we'll else
where.
IT was the abnormal batting of Jimmy
Williams and Hobe Ferris that put the
Browns i'm the race that year. This pair
VI NeteTdHS W eut dIOIIS dt IHOSt IciudI n
able clip that year right down to the
final days of the season They they
slumped, and the team. having been rob-
bed of its offense. fell down. Neither
Ferris nor Williams had any license to bat
in a major league as they did that year.
Nearly every day it was their hits which
gave the Browns their runs, and the re-
suit was that the team. which lacked
strength and would have been joke
championship aggregation. actually had
6OhfinC chance right dnWn the finish
But class eventually told. and the Browns
finished fourth when the smoke cleared
away. Detroit. Chicago and Cleveland
finished in front of them. and instead of
praising McAleer for having brought the
team in the first division. where it did not
belong, st. Louis turned against him and
the hammers have been swinging for his
benefit ever since.
When Red Killifer goes back to the
minors, a step which he seems sure to
take, he will be one of the players who
cannot complain that he has not had
chance to show what he can do in big
league company.
If ever player was given q chance to
make good it was Killifer. McAleer. in
fact probably stood i'm his own light in an
effort to make ball player out of KILL
fer On the teams first western trip last
spring Killifer played fourteen straight
games without making a hit. There were
other players on the bench, among them
Schaefer, who would have done much
better. But McAleer saw a chance to
make Killifer valuable man. and he
probably sacrificed number of games
and a higher position in the race in an
effort to develop Red. But while killifer
is anything but a poor bali player, he
lacks hitting ability for the big show.
though he is sure to be a most valuable
man in any slower company.
While it is true that first base is far
from being we'll fortified on the local
team. there is no reason why this position
should cause Manager McAleer much
worry. To begin with. Somerlot will show
a lot of improvement in the spring. which.
means that he will hit better, for as
fielder he is in the top notch class now.
But even IL Somerlot's stick work should
not be satisfactory. McAleer has two
other men that he can break in there.
Jack Lelivelt could be developed into a
first baseman. and there is no doubt about
his hitting. John Henry is another man
for the place. and Henry is going to be
hitter one of these days. mark the pre-
dictiOn. He was a bit green and had no
experience when he came here. but he is
rapidly improving. and it was the con-
census of opinion when the reason closed
that Henry would hit twice as well next
season as he did last.