Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-05-08
IS TAFT If: THE HIIOIODOl0 ..''s''
. .... OF THE. cA|cAeo cuBs3
WhOn the Pro0ldont Sees Brothers
Team Play Il Losss-Chat Of
the Players.

part.
The president visited Chicago last
fall and went out to see the Cubs
fight the New York Giants. Mathew;
son and Brown were the opposing
pitchers. The Cubs lost.
The Cubs needed that game for 1t
was Just at the time they were trying
to overcome the Pittsburg lead. They
were in striking distance at the time
and the defeat put them back a whole
lot.
A few days ago President Taft Wis.
tied Pittsburg. The Cubs and Pirates
were to play and the chief of the fans
wanted to see the fight. He did. The
Cubs lost. What's the answer?
Is president Taft Cub hoodoo?
Before the game the president said
he wanted to sit on the third base
side where he could watch Hans Wag-
,ner. the great Pittsburg shortstop, and
Johnny Evers, the Cubs star second
baseman. Consequently he had a spe-
cial boy and he saw the players In
action to his hearts content.
The president also wrote his name
on some baseballs. Chance and Evers
of the Cubs and Clarke and Wagner
Of the Pirates each got one. Evers
and Chance got theirs before the
game. Clarke and Wagner received
their trophies after the game. In
Washington on opening day the presi-
dent wrote his name and best wishes
on ball for Walter Johnson the star
pitcher. johnson lost the next game
he pitched.
Fred Merkle Of the Giants, who
made himself famous by his failure to
touch second in a crucial game few
years ago, taught whole lot OF ball
players lesson. In the ninth inning
of q recent Observation-Disclosures
game, when Killifer was walked,
forcing home the winning run, not
only did Killifer have to be told to 20
to first, but Doc Gessler admitted that
he came near running for the club
house without touching home plate
when Killifer was walked. when
heard Evans declare four balls, I
started for the clubhouse, and then
suddenly the Merkle incident flashed
across my mind, and l ran for the
plate" said Gessler. For IN instant
it did not strike me that It would be
necessary for me to touch the plate,
for 1t seemed that tho game was over
when Killifer was sent to first. You
know under such conditions even
player allows his enthusiasm to run
away with him, and must confess
that came very near making seri-
Gus mistake. '-Philadelphia Times.
"Old Eagle Eye" Jake Beckley has
passed out Of baseball after a con-
tinuance Of service for more than
twenty-three years. The veteran hrst
baseman has been given his uncondi'
tional release by Danny Shay, mana
ger Of the Kansas City American asso-
citation team. Beckley took his release
philosophically. He says he Will re-
main in Kansas City and possibly play
with a semi-professional team. Beck
ley Is forty-eight years old. For 70
years-until 1906-he played In the
major leagues. His last year was with
the st. Louis Cardinals. In 1907 he
Joined the American association team
in Kansas City and that year led the
league in batting with 1888.
1.-THE true story Of Tommy Leach's
advent into professional baseball has
never been published" said Sam Gott-
lob the other day. HE played his
first professional game for the Han,
over (Pa) team Of the Cumberland
Valley league in 1896. was catching
for the team then and the manager
told me to go out and get him third
baseman.-
II came home to Cleveland, signed
Tommy to a $50-a-month contract and
took him to Hanover. Leach was
ti1nid and was totally lacking in self
possession, but he was almost as great
q player then as he is today. When
the Hanover team disbanded Tommy
went to the Roanoke (Va.) team, and
It was there that Dreyfuss found him
and took him to Louisville.
II would like to have as an income
the difference between the 500
month he drew then and his monthly
stipend today"
Manager Smith Of the Saginaw
(Mich.) club found recruit In De-
'troit named Otto Pfeiffer. He took
him to Saginaw and the youngster
looked so good that the manager
benched himself and sent the recruit
to center field. That's one case in
baseball history at least where the
manager was benched.
ITO my notion, the hardest play IN
the life of the third sacker Is always
made on a bunt with fast man try
INK to advance from first to second"
says Harry Steinfeldt. I'm nine cases
out of ten it's bound to be q one-hand-
ed play, and If the fingers fail to
clutch the ball or the throw goes
wide, frequently there Is the dickens