Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-28
RECRUITED PLAYERS
ARE UP AGAINST t
Young Fellows Generally Find
Themselves Stung Anyway.
Turn in Spring Training.

These are great days for tho young re-
cruits. the eager juveniles who have
assembled from near and far at the call
Of the magnoots. The kids already see
themselves parading on the big league
fields, the idols Of the throbbing throngs.
and every jackass of them all ina g1nes
that he is sure to make good, to become
regular performer and to realize his
deluded gazabos!
Hard is the lot Of the youngster, and
scanty are his springtime chances. He
is up against 1T good and plentiful. The
odds against him are far heavier than
against the veteran, no matter how rusty
the older man may be. How so? Why
doesn't the timber kid stand the better
show? For hefty reasons, reasons that
nip him both coming and going and stop
him. no matter how he may caper on the
green.
If the boy puts all his energies into
the first few days and breaks his legs in
mis- mad hustling he will create a great
impression. Scribes and managers will
look at the agile young sheep as he goes
over the hurdles and declare that he is a
wonder. a genuine marvel. dead sure to
make the team. And the fool kid will go
ahead till he is SO lame that he can't
move a hoof, and has to lay OFF, with
strains.
That cooks his gooselet. BY the time
he is again fit to move around. the vete-
rams. who have been laying low and
taking it easy, are in shape; the skies
are balmier; the sun is warmer; the old
fellows rise up, show their ancient speed
as they stretch their rusty joints-and the
early work Of the juvenile is soon for
gotten. Just because he tried to make
good, he has committed base ball suicide
and his name is Dennis McPants.
Well, then, suppose he is foxy. and re-
fuses to let himself out in the early days.
holding back just like the veterans? In
that case, everybody promptly decides
that he is lazy shirk: that he either
lacks the ability to make good, or is so
devoid Of pepper that he cannot show
his quality. He is tagged ~ G. right of
the reel and won't even get the chance
to parade when the warmer weather
comes.
Possibly he may be extra intelligent.
and will figure that he can show enough
class to make an impression. and vet
reasoning, but it won't work, because the
manager will see only mediocre perform
ances. and will stamp the boy as a
bush Lacquer who is far from ripe. That
| and no getting around the decision.
Hard indeed, is the lot of the kidlet.
If he hustIes he does himself up, and if
he spares himself they kick him out for
laZineSs. How earth can you get
around such a complicated situation
You can't. That's all. The junior re-
cruit hasn't as much show as a safety
razor al black picnic. The only chance
is that he showed such absolutely daz-
zling quality in the minors that the big
ieaguers are nutty over him, and will
stick to him clear up to April II.
The great young players Of the big
leagues are not found in the spring train
ing camps. They are not developed
from the draft They are the men who
were picked from the minors in late
summer or in early fall, strong: and
seasoned by long campaign. and inject
ed into crippled major clubs. The poor
kids who make the training trips don't
| stick and don't make good-because
every circumstance is dead against them,