The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-17

come to the front fast. Trainer SulliN
| the man who Will be the next cham
tribute to Mr.. Johnson as a league lead
| The Saginaw club, of the Southern
| Michigan League, today bought Pitch
| er Burgess from the Springfield, Mo-,
| club
| Perhaps in no other line of endeavor
| does sentiment cut such a figure as in
| baseball. 1t has been said that senti-
| ment and business are as far apart as
| the poles, but in the conduct of the ma
| tional game the two are more closely
| allied than the general public has any
idea, and, what is more, one is as neces-
sary to success as the other.
| If anything. sentiment has a trihe the
lead. The history-the unwritten his
| tory-of baseball is filled with the
wrecks of promising business PROPOSE
| tions simply because there was too
! great an effort made to heW to the
| strict lines of written contracts. In
| business ordinarily if John Doe con-
| tracts to do something for Richard Doe.
he fultills it to the letter. otherwise the
| latter has a remedy for any dereliction
on the part of John.
| Nothing like that, however, obtains in
our national pastime. John Doe will
| sign a contract to play ball for a GER
tain period of time, to always give his
| best efforts in any position he may be
placed, but if he does not feel in the
hunlor of doing It or has some real or
fancied grievance against his employ
| erS, he does not do it, and all the law
in the land can not make him fulfill
more than the letter of the agreement
| he has signed. Hardly a baseball club
that has not at one time or another 4
really good player, who from one cause
or another has double-crOSsed his EN-
ployers, and after being traded has
/ gone to another club and played the
kind of ball his former employers had
every right to expect.
To make a successful ball team 1t
wise manager subordinates the business
side, and by persistent cajolery keeps
his men keyed up to their best form.
He irons out the many little differences
| between club and players and between
players, and winks at any minor in
fractions of club rules, knowing that if
he is too strict the player will get back
, at him in some way.
So many elements enter into the dis
| satisfaction of a player that the man
| ager is often at his wits ends to keep
his disgruntled star up to form. Elk
ceedingly sensitive to criticism, wheth-
, err deserved or not makes little differ
ence, fined for lapses from training
, Erules, called by the manager or player
: for some boneheaded play, the star i'm
mediatefy acquires a crouch, becomes
Indifferent in his playing, and unless he
| be amenable to reason, his usefulness
. to his club is gone and the sooner he
discipline thereafter
| AS long as the club keeps the dis
gruntled one he will only perfunctorily
go through the motions of playing ball,
and will take care that he does not
overdo anything in the way of taking
chances that might bring victory to his
team. More than one manager has come
in for caustic criticism for trading a
good player when, if the public only
knew the real reason, they would APP
plaud him for roofing out a germ of
dissension.
The only team in the National
league which will start the season of
1910 with the same lineup which open
ed the fight a year ago is the Cubs.
There Will be new faces with the Cubs,
but indications OF the present time
are that the old guard will be intact
when the race begin on April IA.
The Pittsburg Pirates. world s
champions, have made one change, a
| most important one, the substitution
of new first baseman for Abstein.
The New York Giants will present
changes in the outfield and probably
others which McGraw will decide
upon during the training season.
The Phillies have made several
shifts, and so have the Boston Doves
which will bring about Encouragement
of batting orders and fielding posi-
lions.
q ST. Louis and Cincinnati have swap.
pea SOiHS regular players ana VIII
blossom out with one or more mer
new to the major league fans in regu.
= lar berths.
:; But the Cubs will start out I'M
d changed.
l. Chance will be ON first base. Evers
l. on second. Tinker at short. Steinfiel6
= at third and the outfield will be guard
20 ed by the old Scheckard-Schute-H of-
IN man triumvirate.
1f If King returns he will only be
d. taking up his former position and can.
=. not be regarded in the light of an adj
y ditional player. But his presence will
- mean much to the team. In fact i
will mean so much that in a schedule
of 16S games the West siders Will bs
| as confident of winning the penpan
as in 1907. when they finished fifty
seven games ahead of the neares
Il competitor.
II a Denver dispatch says: Hendrick
| has certainly been given every advan
tage by his employers, and if he doe
II not produce a team that can .finisl
III one-two-three, it will be his fault
~ James C. McGill, the new blood of tn