The Detroit times., 1910-12-05

VIVA Ntllf' " h4' W.
y " National league,
could neither
NJ sAsstltS read OF write,
vet he was the
~ King bee of them
Mn With hands as small as woman
z h0f played in the days when gloves
were unknown or him Mr.. Splnk
ENrStes as follows in his book, Ihe
3 stional Game
# u have seen all the great second
Da&emen from the time Al lteach GOV
>ordd second for the Athletics OF Phll'
adelphia in the early sixties down to
Nap Lajoie. of the Cleyelands and
4 Johnny Evers, of the Chicago Cubs
sAnd | would easily pronounce Dun
hu the greatest player that ever fill
bd the position.
M Dunlap was born in Philadelphia and
Aarned to play ball there at about
81 The time that AL Reach Jimmy Wood,
Ind the old army of second basemen
Eere beginning to retire.
~ Cotemporaneous with Dunlap were
Dnjh great second basemen as Bid Nc
Ptee, OF Cincinnati: Fred Pfeffer and
<Joe Quest. of Chicago: Joe Gerhardt.
<|of louisville; Danny Richardson, OF
lew York: zap. Lajoie, of Philadel-
ohja, Cupid, Childs OF Cleveland;
Dah. Wise, of Boston: Reitz, of Balti-
more: Ritchey, of Pittsburg. Joe
|0uinn. OF ST. Louis and Boston, and
cthe-s.
But none OF these players could be-
nm to compare with Dunlap in all
around work or In covering the bag
Never See His Equal.
The baseball world win. perhaps,
never again see his equal; and | say
2thk for several reasons. First OF all.
Dunlap was the right size for secs
Onl baseman, being jus. a little above
md medium height, and he was built
10 3close to the ground that IL was an
Zeaty task for him TO get down quick
|nnd handle the meanest hit grounder
kOrlthe poorest throw.
He never wore a glove, and MS
hands were as small as woman's but
hek could handle any sort Of throw
tor hit, running at the ball from either
|ri1ht or left and never halting at bad
fhfpw, or difficult groundhit.
Dunlap was ambidextrous. In GOV
erfng second he would run and catch
~ badly thrown ball as well with his
1B4 as with his right hand and IN
*gatid work. and I'm putting the ball
kwW3ftly ON the runner with either hand
*he4has never had an equal.
Dunlap used TO say: Ball players
Hnre born nat made" An he was GER
<ainly one of this kind.
bThen Dunlap was a lad Of ten the
0nee ball craze had begun 10 spread
1ta wings.
n fOn tie outskirts OF philadelphia
me- prairies were dotted mornins
'nobn and night with street gamin woo
pl3yed hockey from school and who
Fuut In their mornings and afternoons
'pl1ying baseball. Dunlap had neither
}1nfher nor mother in that early time
6r0 the people he lived with cared
HfSle where he went. So when he was
h0 s'at home" eating his meals he as
sDH on the prairie hitting fungoes.
ca$ching the ball, throwi- & II or some
.&h1ng else
fThe lad learned nothing but ball
Dl1ying. II was his only source OF de-
3f8ht He learned every trick and
fu|n OF the game He had such good
~ that he could follow the hardest
hi1 easily from the cr.ck of the bat
mil the sphere landed in his hands.
K{a ball was thrown low he could
~ where the rebound was To- come
Thus he handled throws and hits hat
man OF the second basemen OF the
Drtsent day would not try for.
Had An Early start.
< lin the seventies managers OF the
We ball teams who were trying to
along In the professional arena
Eteu went to the Philadelphia prairies
go hunt for material From the lots
fnere hundreds of great players were
8rnduated. One day one of these eY.
a pefts espied Dunlap. A year or two
later. In 1881. ito be exact. he was
y Eplaying at second base for the Cleve.
land National league team.
"And soon the news OF u Is wonder.
ful worf spread. re was with Cleve.
lad when that team had, perhaps. the
Rrkatest infleld ever known In in
d c1tded Big Bill Phillips, first base
- tnlap, second base: Jerry Denny
X third base; Jack Glasscock. shor
ft was while Dunlap was playin.
NTH cleveland that Henry Lucas o
80 Louis, got him 10 sign with hi
NJ Louis Union team. Strange TO re
In1e. Dunlap, although the creates
ol3yer, knew absolutely nothing I'm
beball. He had grown up in tn
me and learned nothing else. Whil
NJ little comrades were going I,
,ool Dunlap was learning the alpha
~ OF baseball His knowledge OF th,
1ome was acute. He knew every lei
III OF IL. He could turn the neates
f(ck In a jiffy and he always sent IN
|aDl I'm the proper direction.
Playing ball, too made him an atl
fR. He was as supple and free wit
~ limbs as though made OF rubber