Audubon County journal., 1911-06-01
CHAPTER VII.
Combine Baseball and Wild Oats.

Combine Baseball and Wild Oats.
In the spring of 1878 our team start
ed out with the united determination
to give the Boston champiSls the
struggle of their life to keep at the
top OF the list. All winter we had
been preparing for the conflict, and
We realized that in order to down the
vlctors we must strengthen our weak
places without damage to our strong
ones. To accomplish this the man
agement of the Athletics made a few
changes in the makeup of the team.
one OF these was to put new man
named Fulton at third base, assigning
me to shortstop. | suppose the Ath-
letlc folk had come to the conclusion
that | was sort of general utility
man, playing equally we'll in any old
position. | thought at the time they
We're mistaken, and l am of the same
opinion still. You can take it from me
that In baseball, as in most other pro-
fessions, the jack-of-all-trades Is very
apt to be master of none.
Although we had mighty strong
team-stronger, l think, than that of
the preceding season-we failed to
make as good showing as we did in
1872. The Boston folks had outgen-
eraled us in our effort to forufy our
selves and they had been more liberal
with their "rhino" Altogether we
played so games that season, winning
27 and losing 23. Out of the IA exhi-
bition games we won 12 and lost two.
Those two lost games were the gall
and wormwood OF the whole business
they were won by rival club which
had come into being, the Philadel-
phians, who had robbed us of two of
our most famous players, Malone and
Mack, and had started business with
the avowed intention of wiping us off
the map.
Take it straight from me that the
staid citizens of "old Phillie" were
ttckled to death over the baseball
civil war that had broken out, and
they just rooted themselves speech
less at the final contest, which landed
our rivals in second place, the score
standing to 4. We left the field that
night as disgusted with the business
of living on the earth as if we had been
treated to dose OF ippecac. The
season was all over now and we were
halted In our march to overtake the
once more victorious beaneaters. AS
before, was about the only member
of the team who could find crumb of
comfort was still fourth on the bat
I'm let nd hot
Now, don't believe for a moment
| that the Athletic management was
ready to call off the game. That club
was founded on too firm a rock to
have its bottom knocked out from un-
der by the upstart that had tackled Il:
Instead of sitting down and crying
over the milk that had been spilled,
the club folks started right in to mend
their fences SO that they migfl stand
| chance Of regatling what they had
lost. even if nothing better came of
it. My salary was advanced to $500,
and once again | was shifted-this
time to right field. l did not say SO
at the time, but l knew then as well
as do now that the change was an
other piece of shortsightedness.
Now, don't jump to the conclusion
that l did nothing during those win
ters in Philadelphia but strenuous
gymnasium stunts to fit me for the
road Even in those days the Quaker
City enjoyed the reputation of being
model village, but l found it some
what lively in spots, certainly more
so than Marshalltown. When l left
the Iowa town 1 was at the know-it-all
age, when the world seemed populated
with idiots-all except myself re-
garded the old gentleman as too hide
bound in his ignorance to be worthy
Of any attention whatever When \
arrived in Philadelphia some of that
foolishness had been knocked out of
me, but l was still in the rough and
needed mighty vigorous trimming.
My robust constitution and outdoor
life had done lot to encourage the
| animal in my makeup, and l was as
full of nonsense as an unbroken thor
oughbred colt and about as likely to
kick over the traces when anybody
attempted to tighten the rein on me-
| There We're plenty ready to give me
! good advice, but took mighty good
care to steer clear Of 1t. In nut
shell, baseball was my preference, but
| was ready for any other old game
With this view of the problem of life,
some of my experiences at that period
were not of very exalted nature,
hardly creditable, in fact, to young
man who aspired to become great
ball player, but l have the consola-
ton of knowing that they were due
more to freshness and ignorance than
| to actual viciousness.
l had mighty good opinion of my
ability to hold my own in all contests
that demanded strength and endur-
ance, and 1t was good thing that
| sometimes ran up against snag. One
instance in which my pride took tre-
mendous tumble was in 1872, the first
year l played with the Athletics 1t
was a throwing match pulled off at
the Union grounds In Brooklyn be-
tween members of the Mutuals, Bos-
tons and Athletics for purse of sew