Evening star., 1911-01-15
SMILE PR0vOKERS
Trials and TribuIationS 'of' the
Old Pittsburg Club.
DOGGY MILLER MANAGER
Had So Many Players on Roster That
Positions Were Scrambled For.
Lineup Changed Daily.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CINCINNATI. Ohio, January -
There have been many. many ball clubs
In this old world OF ours, and each OF
those clubs has seen many changes. Prob
ably no club that ever happened beheld
more changes-while IL lasted-than the
immortal P1ttsburg team OF 1S9o-the most
remarkable aggregation. in its way. that
ever followed the nag-followed it eight
jumps behind.
Your correspondent was talking. just
the other day, with a portH. dignified !
citizen who was a member OF that famous
crew. He has outliyed II long ago. has
accumulated a family. fortune and
bay window that juts out SO far they
have to swing open the double doors TO
let him into the clubhouse. and IL would
not be right to brand him with an out
worn stain by telling who he Is Any
how he played on ]. Palmer O'Neilrs
immortal team. and he says he wouldn't
have missed it for q million.
The salary lists of that great ball
club said this hero OF the past. were
never made public. but I don't think
they'd have totaed over $4,000 on the
season, with Guy Hecker and Doggy Nil
Ter, I suppose, getting the largest shares
During the season there were I14 play
ers who took part In from one game up
ward-mostly one game and no more. AT
each stop along the circuit We would miss
somebody. The management would re-
lease q bunch OF the heroic warriors or
the boys. determined to make an honest
living. would vanish into the stiffness OF
the night and get jobs husking corn.
II do not think that there were ever
more than two successive games In which
Af ha
time the infielders were total strangers
and hadn't become acquainted with the
outfielders or the catcher. This made IL
somewhat embarrassing when quick ac-
ton was needed, and, OF course, seriously
impeded the rapid transaction OF double
plays. II a grounder came cutting across
the infield with a man on hrst. the Snort
stop pro TEN. and the temporary second
baseman would both gallop for 1t and
make a frantic grab. IL. through any
strange accident, one or the other OF
them got 1t without first knocking down
the other one, there wouldn't De any one
on second to throw 1t to excepting the
base runner. Now and then they d throw
1t at him anyhow.
teamwork Necessary Among Players
1T was asserted when the All-Stars
beat the Athletics that q team of great
natural players didn't need association.
| long acquaintance or time to construct
| set Of signals. From my experience with
| the Pittsburgs Of 1880 l am convinced
that this belief is erroneous. We were
all of US great natural players-at least,
every one OF US said so-but were not
| acquainted. Not very often. We might
form a sort OF social intimacy MONDAY,
| but it was spoiled Tuesday when we took
| the field with five new players and tina
| others shifted to different positions. Con-
sequently We didn't make much progress
| in the development OF signals. ana the
Pittsburg machine failed to DO any aps'
cially large amount Of moving.
II distinctly remember one afternoon
when q new right fielder made his nrss
appearance with the club. He had just
come in on the o'clock train, and Dog
ry Miller. who was the acting captain.
| hadn't a chance to present him to the rest
| of U.S. For tnat matter, there were seven
men with the team whom DOGGY dion
know by name. and 1t would have osen
| introductions. We took the field. ana
| in less than no time the bases were
| crowded with opposition people. !nat
| was the usual case We saw more pass
runners in other uniforms than any play
ers of any time before or since.
with the sacks full and no one out .
curying fly went to the new center fielder.
| 1t looked like a Texas League hit. ana
the three runners fed from their bases.
| The boy made a really pretty catch, right
| tion OF triple play right In his hano.
He sailed the ball on dead line to Mil
| Ter. who was catching. and DOGGY, Ut
| terly astounded. stood there with the
| "'What in the name Of Mike howled
| Doggy. did you do that for?' The young
ster looked srieved at the tone OF the IN
| terroeation-
why said he, YOU were the only
man on the club that I've been intro
duced to, and so l threw you the ball:
I'm New York one afternoon. We came
on the field with only eishf men So'
signment of players from the Hog hoiioW
| Assc citation having failed to appear on
schedule time Train late. or perhaps J.
| Palmer O'Neill had forgotten 10 forward
them the car fare. Anyhow, there were
only eight of us-Guy Hecker. George
Decker, DOGGY Miller myself and four
Srizzled veterans VINO nad peeh WIN 'io
club for fully five games.
.The hackman was burly and formid-
able-Iooking cuss. and We pressed MN
into service. He PLAYED rlght neiu. ,is. anu
body said a word-his style OF helding
was quite i'm line with our usual perform
ing He was up at bat twice, ana each
time Rusie hit him with a fast pan.
The first time Rusie hit him he hopped
around and swore, using new. ana
strange language, the language OF cao-
men and not of the ball field. The
second time was plenty.
game said he For mine, I'm all
through 1 think me horses need tendin
to. anyhow
"And IL a local amateur hadn't volun.
teered to help out. we'd have had TO forA
felt for lack of nine men on the neid.
o,Neill Paid for Three Extra Men.
I'm Chicago, where we had been for
three-game series, the hotel bill impressed
Mr.. O'Neill as being extremely large
for twelve men, all that we were carry
ing. On running over the items. Mr..
O'Neill found that he was charged for
fifteen people Three of them. named
Smith, Hendricks and Jackson. were not
listed on the roster of the club. but the
personnel of the team changed so often
that we never could be quite certain OF
the names On investigating things more
closely he found that three gentlemen or
ready nerve. but small finances, had ADD
ed themselves to the list when the play
ers were originally registered. They had
signed "Pittsburg B. h. c. on the reg
lister after their names, and had been
eating and sleeping at the expense or the
cellar champions for the past three days.
''The real climax, however. came on at
PHILADELPHIA. We were extremely Snort
handed when we struck that peaceful VII
lage and when a man six feet two. built
like a brick house. came up TO us ana eN-
pressed willingness to play the game We
took him on without even asking what
league he came from. That afternoon.
oftar the unknown had muffed two easy