Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-05

cent sum of S. per week. Baker never
played more than one season with any
team he signed with until he joined the
Athletics, his promotion being rapid, and
the faster the company he Joined the bet
ter he played 1t was also Charlie Her
zog who recommended Baker to Cam
bridge Md, with whom he played In 1907
and 'Os. being a. teammate of Herzog's
and the late Isl, Nichols OF Baltimore
In 1908 he joined the Reading team in
the Tri-State League whence he was
drafted by Connie Mack in the fall of
1908. Baker is one of the quartet of
youngsters secured by Mack in the same
season, and which he has developed into
what all critics declare to be the most
effective infield that ever graced the dia-
, mond, Mclnnis. Collins, Barry and Baker.
Baker had no sooner Joined the Ath-
letics than he began to show his Won
| derful long range ability with the clean
up cudgel. During his first training
trip South with the Athletics Baker won
the opening game of the training schedule
against the New Orleans team with a
| home run over the right field fence, and
followed this up by winning two straight
games against the Mobile. Ala. team
| by hitting the ball over the fence. He
| has now contracted the fence habit, and
it is usually good night when Baker
comes up In pinch.
| John Franklin Baker is one inch short
| of being a six-footer and weighs 11''
! pounds He is built along rangy lines,
with no superfluous flesh on his frame.
and careful study of his wonderful
| forearms in action shows the power from
/ which he derives that awful kick to
produce those long cleanup wallops.
| vicious roundhouse lunge. but 1t is a
| short. rigid snap. backed up by the
| ir6n-likc rigidity of wonderful pair of
/, forearms. the muscles Of which tense
| the bat meets the ball, that gives the
kick to the blow and distance to the hit
! that follows. This is likewise the cause
OF Baker, Il long-diStance hitter, also be-
| ing sure hitter with always q high
| average. never dropping below the select
300 class. He doesn't start his swing
! before the bail breaks. as is usually the
| case with long-distance hitters who re-
| sort to the long lunge, but his work is
! the result of careful study OF each ball
| pitched to him by the opposing pitcher.
in combination with quick perception and
| perfect harmony between O. wonderful set
| of iron muscles and an active brain.
In private life Baker is distinctly
home man, seldom being seen in public
without his wife and little girl. and knows
no excuses barring base ball. He ap-
parently lives for just two things; his
/ family and his work on the base ball
| field. He has always been overpowering-
~ ambitious to succeed in his chosen
| profession, and one of the things that has
made for the success he has achieved is
his intense enthusiasm in his work. He
| makes just as careful study Of his life s
| work as does any banker or captain OF
| industry. and given a moderate amount
Of ability in other channels, the same
qualities that have won him success on
the base ball field would have brought
him an equal measure of success if APP
piled to other lines OF endeavor.
Baker is type of ball player that hon.
ors the great game OF which he Is one OF
the highest opponents. He neither drinks
nor uses tobacco in any form. never re-
sorts to foul play OF. dirty" tactics to
assuming man at all times vino always
endeavors to give his employers the best
that is in him. To see this retiring young
farmer boy who has suddenly jumped