The Washington herald., 1911-02-19
By n. T. woRLEY.

Have you ever stopped to think how
many amateur baseball players there are
in Washington? If you have never given
the matter any thought you will be sur
prised at the statement that over LOO
sand-lot artists gambol about on the
sward each summer and pay homage to
the best Of all games. Secretary H. ".
Shurtlieff's records alone show nearly ]. 400
players with the nine leagues playing un-
der the rules of tie amateur baseball
commission last season, and this does not
take in the independent teams and the
several smaller leagues not affiliated with
Washiagton's governing body.
If you want to do your own figuring you
can count 'em yourself. There are nine
leagues contesting for the championship
of Washington. and each has six clubs.
some Of them more. The number of play
ers allowed to play with each team, is
twenty. A little multiplication and you
have Lose registered players. Then, as
the season passes along, some of the spit
bah artists get banged about the lot and
retire; catchers get sore thumbs ana bone
heads and disappear, and infielders and
outhelders get punk and are chased TO the
bench by the manager. If each of the
clubs released five players during the sea-
son and took on five new ones that would
mean 800 more performers. Remember
this fails to take in the Olympia League,
the Southern Railway League any of the
independent teams, or any of the colored
players, and it's a safe assertion that
were they all counted, the number would
pass the 2.100 mark
Now with all these players slapping
the ball around it's not surprising that
Washington is looked upon as a good
city for scouts from the minor league
clubs to pick up promising material In
past years, many local high school and
college athletes and quite a number of
sand-lot players have cast their lot with
faster company and have made good.
There are many players who go away
TO play ball during their vacation, hold
ing on TO fat government jobs mean
while, and picking UP a few simoleans
for tobacco money. This last class has
lately grown to astonishing proportions,
and 1t is astonishing to note the number
who expect to go away this spring. Some
will undoubtedly 10 well and sign con-
tracts calling for a good salary. while
others will merely have a good time and
return refreshed to school OF work after
a pleasant vacation. There are also in
cluded n number whose stay will be short
and the experience sad, for they will
come home before they hardly get a
chance to learn the signals.
But we only want to speak of the
promising ones, and we hope all of them
will land good jobs and none of them
VIII come home until the season is over.
Among the first to sign up for 1911 are
King Brady, the hefty Capital City
Lacquer: YUM Moreland, last season
member of the Ninth team, which won
the Sunday School League championship;
'Bff' Johnson. dear to the hearts of
all Eastern College students for the
fine team he developed last season; sid
Lodge. last summer catcher for Silver
Spring in the Suburban League: Harry
Smithson. from the Commercial League,
and George Thompson, of the Terminal
Railroad Y. NJ. c. A circuit. Brady, |
johnson, Smithson, and Thompson will
be members of the DanviTle nine. while
Moreland and Lodge will join Richmond,
all in the Virginia State League.
Chick Davis, last season with the
Sewage Pumping Station outfit, will
20 10 Roanoke; Johnny Mace. of the
Independence League, and Keliher, of
the Capital City League, will be on the |
Petersburg nine: Phil Buscher will |
leave the Cornell Company boys and get |
a try out in Baltimore in the Eastern |
League, while Earle Steel a member |
of the Sewage Pumping Station squad, |
Gould Menefee, last year with the |
Augusta CGa) team in the South. At |
lantic circuit, will play there again: !
Johnnie Priest. owned by the New York |
Americans, will play in Indianapolis |
where he has been farmed out by the |
Yankees.
Norris, of Commerce and Labor; Sslb, |
of Cornell Company: Handiboe, of Cor |
nell Company; Geibel, of Twining; |
Howard. of American Security and. Trust |
Company, and Cornell College fame;
''Skeets' Hayes, of American Security
and Trust Company; Green. of Cornell |
Company: MarCeron, of Cornell Com
pany; Hughes, of the Railroad Y. NJ c.
A. League, and Buehler, of the Sunday
School circuit, all expect to leave town
and john the professional ranks The
list of "hope-to-goes'' also include
Shecllels. Bob Hummer, Phipps,
Becker, HerreII. Cleveland, Noyes,
Leonard. Clayton, Monk Walters,
Mess. Widmayer. Spaulding, Forest
Thompson, Chick MaGdux, ZanneIH,
Ferguson. Glavin. Howser, MeaghIer,
Be.lick, and J. D. Brown. Many of
these may hot go away this spring, but
and nearly all have seen fast company
at some time.
That there is a scarcity of good ball
players is generally acknowledged. and
the 1attering salaries paid to those who
make good, the comparative easy life for
six months OF the year, and the Unborn
love of the game is enough to tempt al
most any youth with any ability to leave
the college campus, the sand lot, and the
village green and try his luck in big
league company. And the players are
taking advantage of the chances offered
Al De n ind of l