Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-08-10
Wheat Is Star at
the Bat

Zack DaVlQ w neat, the clever BrOOk-
Ign outfielder. broke into professional
baseball in the spring of 1908 with the
Shreveport club, then a member of the
Texas league. He was less than 20
years old-this batting star of the Su-
perbas. After leaving the Kansas City
High school Wheat began playing in
dependent bali with the Enterprise
team.
Cable, a pitcher for the Kansas City
team, received a letter in the fall of
1907 from Dale Gear. at the time man
ager OF the Shreveport team. Gear
wanted Cable to recommend an out
fielder and a first baseman. Wheat
learned Of this. and importuned Cable
so strongly that the latter consented to
send his name to Gear. with the result
that Wheat was signed. to report the
following spring.
At that time Wheat says, he was
about the worst fielder that ever hap
pened He was playing first base with
the Enterprise team. but was like
wooden man on n ground ball. and his
efforts to catch a fly ball were aWk
ward and frequently resulted in failure.
About all ne could do was To catch
thrown ball but even then it was not
always a sure thing that he would hold
it, However there was one depart
ment in the game in which he did ex-
cel-and that was hitting.
He played few games at first base,
but Gear took him quietly to one side
one day and told him that he never
would make a first baseman if he lived
century He had as a rival for the
Job Gandil. now first baseman for the
Chicago White SOx. Elmer Rieger.
now a pitcher with the st. Louis Car
dinals, was also a member of the
Shreveport team.
Gear. however. saw in the youngster
the making of a brilliant Outfielder il
ne could ever be taught to field There
was no question about his ability to
sting the horsehide Morning after
morning Gear had Wheat out at the
Shreveport grounds teaching him how
to cavOrt around the outer gardens.
Fly balls. ground balls. to the right and
to the left OF him were Wheat's daily
norton. and morning after morning the
willing. though perspiring. player was
almost ready to drop when Gear would
al. OF the practice. He -persevered
/ and in due time Wheat got so that he
/ did not miss them oftener than any
other one. He continued to improve.
while his batting got better.
| During the summer of 1908 Wheat.
/ had his left arm broken by pitched
/ ball and was out Of the game for a
month. a greater part of the time OF
which he spent on the bench watching
the game. He had been playing right
field. Along about August. in 1908.
Gear had need of a twirler and put
| through a deal with the Mobile club
whereby he secured n cash considera-
| ton and a pitcher for Wheat.
Wheat. who was born at Hamilton.
Mo, has Indian blood in his veins. His
mother was from the Cherokee tribe.
/ She is an enthusiastic reader of base
/ ball news and takes a great interest in
lacks career. reading whatever she
can get about his games. During the
winter Wheat lives on a farm near
! Kansas City. He is Il clean-cut. gem
tlemanly fellow and has the prospect of
being one of the greatest hitting out
/ helders in the National league. He is
4 right handed thTOwer. but a left
handed batter. and is very fast in
getting down to- first base. Fans at
Brooklyn will marvel that he was ever
poor fielder. because, his work there
has been of the sensational order.