Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-05
NATIONAL GAME HAS
TAKEN BIG ADVANCE
Day of the Boozer Has Pass
ed-Pastime Is Strictly on
Business Basis Now.

NEW YORK, June 4.-Hughey Jen-
nings. the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the big
leagues. remarked the other day that the
booze fighter was nix or words to that
effect
Hughey, who is older than he looks and
a lot older than he acts or feels, played
base ball in the days when it was no par
ticular disgrace for a ball player to go
out in the cool of the evening and lick
up all the firewater in the village. Of
course it wasn't good for the said ball
player to irrigate his system with rum,
but at the same time it wasn't a crime in
the eyes of the management A ball
player had some latitude in those days.
If he stayed out of jail he was doing right
well.
Understand that Hughey was a blue
ribboner all this time. That is why he
is still in the business. He was not
speaking from personal experience.
No Crime Then.
Twenty years ago every base ball club
had its heavyweight champion booze
fgh ter. and thought nothing of it! Today
the man who goes out and looks hard
liquor in the eye finds himself In serious
trouble with the management. There are
a great many good reasons for this. In
the first place. The world do move OF
late years there has been some enlighten-
ment regarding the action of squirrel
whisky upon the tender tissues Of the
young and promising athlete. That's
one cause. Another is, that there are
more ball players now than there used
to be, and if the bibulous one goes out
and collects for himself such load that
he can barely waddle home with 1t. the
x,-f1l i,L Oft substitutes
in his place. And still again, base ball
has become a real profession which at
tracts the college man.
Nowadays the boy who plays on the
college team and shows lot OF class
receives offers which make him think
the law or the ministry isn't so profit
able after all. If you pay enough money
you are going to attract the hlsh-class
people, and at the present time profess
sional base ball draws an army OF sober,
clear-eyed, big-brained young men, who
regard base ball as a profession and not
as sport or a trade.
Glass of Players Has Improved.
The class Of players has improved In
the past ten years. due no doubt to the
fine young men who are entering the
clubs.
Take any team you like in either one
men on the roster Then dig up Spald-
ings Guide, go back fifteen or twenty
years and look for college men. The COM
parison will be significant, to say the
least
OF course, not all college men have
class. Some of them have been hanged
for horse stealing but that is neither
here nor there When a big businesslke
professional base ball begins to attract
men of good education you can bet
that that same bushes is going to be
elevated trif1e
Base ball is being systematized down
to fine point. Just as are all the other
big businesses of the country. Railroads
do not hire a drinking man if they know
1t. Banks will not take clerk OF loose
morals and thirst-if they know it The
national game. being one of the greatest
money makers in the country. has fallen
for the most part into the hands of
shrewd business men, and these men want
value received from their hired hands.
Team CAPTAINS and managers have the
idea that as they pay big money to a
player they have the right to expect that
the player will keep himself In condition
to play the best ball there is in him. II
a man does not do this and persists In
diving off the water wagon every lie"
weeks the time comes when the man
ager loses patience and ships the THIRSTY
fellow out to some minor league where
there will be less to interfere with MS
habits.
Base ball has been put on business
footing. II a mans name is on the pay
roll 1t is there not out of any sentiment,
but because he is worth something TO
the club management The minute ne
ceases to be worth his salary check he
will hear from the driver OF the pay
wagon.
changeth.''