The San Francisco call., 1910-11-03
OAKLAND CRACK IS
MAINSTAY OF TEAM
All Over the Diamond Big Tosser
Has Played With UnfaH-
ing Success


baseball team during the last four
years OF course Oakland has had
many a star player and many q popu
lar leader during that time, but still
Hogan outranked them all He always
stuck by the team no matter what
! happened. Managers in Oakland have
come and gone and the team has
| changed around time and again in the
/ last four years, but Hogan never left
| the job He's one standby who has
always stood pat for Oakland.
Hogan never played with another
league team in his life. He's an Oak
| lander through and through and there
is no chance to make mistake about
| him. But he's going away next sea-
son, going back to join Connie Mack
and his world champions. the Athletics.
If he don't make good then just about
! 90 per cent of the fans in the Coast
| league will be disappointed beyond
measure.
Hogan started playing ball over in
! San Rafael He used to string tele-
! phone wires all day and on Sundays
| and holidays he would line up with q
brush team and play. Hogan would
rather pitch, but in case they wanted
| him to do the honors in the infield or
| the outfield or behind the bat he was
always there to fill in. He could play
one position just well as the otner
! II made no difference to him, though
| whenever he had his choice he would
jump into the box and pitch.
Oakland picked up Hogan four years
ago and started him out as a pitcher
| He was not ans impressive looking ball
| player. being heavy and rather slouchy
| looking and apparently indifferent. But
/ he had a whole lot of speed, great
control of the ball and plenty of that
| old stamina. He did not know the
| definition of the word quit
1t was not long before the fans be-
| gan to open their eyes wide and Won
der at the work of Hogan. Though he
was with a tailend team he kept right
| on winning game after game If he
| could not get away with it any other
way he occasionally broke it UP with
timely hit, for besides being some
pitcher Hogan soon showed them that
| he was also a 500 hitter.
| In the season of 1907 Oakland was
! there with a trailing. sorry looking
| ball team, which dragged its weary
way along in last place Still Hogan
was the winning pitcher of the league
! that year. Also he ranked among the
| 10 leading stickers. 1t seemed as
| though it was he who won every game
that fell into the Oakland can. He
| appeared to be the whole show.
| 1t did not take Pop Van Haltren, the
| then manager of the Commuters, long
to observe that Hogan was an all
around ball player. Once Van got
! line of the youngsters ability Willie
was handed plenty of work. When
third baseman or q shortstop or first
| sacker or an outfielder was out of com
mission Hogan was called upon to fill
up the gap,
| The youngster could play third just
as we'll as he could pitch and he was
] he on
| first base. In fact, he made himself
an all around star on every position
on the diamond save behind the bat
Why he did not put Willie TO work
with the big mitt and the big pad has
not been explained, but anyhow he
missed that job.
The next season found Hogan start
! ing out as a pitcher again, but they
needed him so badly in other parts of
| the lot that he found little time to use
| his fayorite curves on the opposing
batsmen. Toward the close of. the sea-
| son Hogan was known as the utility
man of the team They had forgotten
that he was signed UP TO do box work
Last season Hogan figured that he
| might as well quit the box, so they
started him out on third base. He was
| a real dyed in the wool, genuine in
| fielder then. When the first baseman
or the shortstop of one of the outfield
had to take up their burdens, but he
did most of his work at the third
sack.
When the present season opened Ho-
| gan found himself in another job.
Harry Wolverton, the new manager of
| the team, wanted to play third, his
| regular position, and whenever man
| ager wants to get away with certain
| stunt on his own team it's 1 to 10 that
| his own sweet self will be served, no
| matter what any Of the others say
about it.
When Wolverton got on the job at
| third he decided that Hogan would
| look better in the outfleld than any
| other place. so the handy man of the
| team found himself chasing flies around
the center garden. He has been a
| center fielder all season. save when
| they needed him on third or on first or
at short, but he's down on the list as a
center fielder.
| A fan must see Hogan work in few
games in order to realize that he can
| play ball. He is not one of those
| tossers who impress you right off the
reel. He looks more like a teamster
! than speedy ball player and when
| he slouches UP to the plate he gives
| one the impression of being second
! Truck Eagan or Frank Dillon as far
| as speed goes.
However, the Oakland handy man is
| one of the fastest sprinters in the
league. In fact, he's open to race any
| player on any team a distance of 100
yards for a side bet of 5000. So far he
| has not been called, because all the
] other players on the other teams know
| how speedy this clumsy looking chap
| is. They have seen him tear around
those bases and they have seen the
way he runs in the outfield after hard
| chances.
| When Hogan deserts Oakland for
| Philadelphia next season there will be
weeping and moaning among the fans
| on the other side of the bay They
! may get another man to take his place,
| but it's safe to assert that they never
will get another who can fill in like
Hogan has filled in during the past
| four years.