El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-25

| Shreveport club of the Texas league
He was less than 20 years old-this
| batting star of the Superbas. He was
/ playing Independent ball with the En-
! terprise. Kan, club and his fielding at
J first base was rotten, but he could
/ clout the ball some. He was called to
! Shreveport to be given a trial. He
had as his rival for the first sack Gan
! oil, now first baseman for the Chicago
| White Sox. AS first sacker there
was no comparison between the two
men and Gandil easily won out Be
cause he was hitting the ball so hard
and so often Wheat was given a place
in the outer garden.
In that position Wheat chased the
| balls hard. He missed them oftener
than he caught them, but Dale Gear
had patience and he finally got the
Kansas boy trained to the point that
he could land nearly everything that
came his way.
During that summer Of 1908 Wheat
had his left arm broken by a pitched
ball and was out of the game for more
than a month, but watched the players
from the bench. He had been playing
right field Along about August Gear
needed a pitcher badly and traded
Wheat to Mobile for a twirler
Wheat made good there and was pur-
chased by Brooklyn. His work this
year, both in the outfeId and at the
stick. has been about the best In the
big league. He looks like a $4,000
man next year.
Wheat was born in Hannibal. Mo.
and has indian blood in his veins His
mother was from the Cherokee tribe.
In the winter Wheat lives on a farm
IN Kansas He is right handed
thrower but left handed batter.
Little more than a year ago Drucke
was a college boy. He might be said
70 have stepped from the college door
10 the major leagues as his minor
league experience was very brief. He
graduated from the Texas Christian
university at Waco last June and i'm
mediately Joined the Dallas team
lucAe pitched twice a week and lost
only Two or three games. He was
soon shown to be the best twirlar IN
the Texas league
McGraw closed a deal for the mr.
chase of Drucke last July. The nrice
was $1,000 But Drucke's real expert
ehce with the New York Giants dates
rom the spring training in Texas in
I'Vo' Inc Giants played "a exhibitfo,
SdIheS In that year and were beateD
ohIy once and Drucke, then green
ceIIeSe pitcher, turned the trick The
Datlery on that day was the afore-
mentioned Drucke and his brother Os-
car who caught for him. The latter
i now member of the Oklahoma
team. 0iii@
This little exhibition caused McGraw
10 keep his eye on Drucke and lust
ds soon as he came to the conclusion
IhaI ne was ripe enough he reached
out and took him from the Texse
leag ieAas
Drucke is now pitching regularly
and has this season beat the fastest
teams in the National league,
While the pictures of the two mon
mentioned are probably appearing in
PrIhte o1tener than that of Sneaker
the Iatter's record with the Boston
team Is equal TO that of the Other
Two lie is swatting the ball about os
hard as Wheat and is doing even
little better fielding. / He is in every
game from start to finish and it is his
SUCK work at critical periods that is
oolng so much to bring Boston to The
front this season He has been in tba
National league for two seasons. He
Is also one Of the graduates to he
turned out by Dale Gear. of Shreve-
port, who is making a record as
developer of stars
In that connection it might be well
TO remark that another former Shreve-
port man, Elmer Reiger. who is Twill
Ing for the st. Louis Cardinals, is also
making good in the National league.
He is one of the best men that Roger
Bresnahan has and his good work in
the box has done as much as any one
thing to bring the Cardinals out of the
cellar and put them on the road In
the sensation race they are now MAX
ing in the National league
President Doherty, of the Sand Grabs, |
is travelling around the circuit with that
team. So far he has not proved that
he was an efficient charm against de-
feat.
Jackson>is now playing first for Dali
las. Heine Mag being temporarily dis
abled on account of crippled fingers.
That boy Hise is going some for
Galveston. If he keeps the present gait
up he viii soon be one of the leagues
top notchers.
Drucke. the Texas .twirler with New
York, was not altogether to blame for
his most recent defeat. New York had
a lead of two runs, but in the ninth |
Drucke gave two bases on balls and
was withdrawn Bugs Raymond went |
in and hit Campbell and Hyatt in sue
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