Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-30
BASEBALL AS BUSINESS TRAIN.
ING
Famous Players Who Have Made Good
After Quitting the Game.

| To what line of cndeaVOr does the
| baseball player turn who is forced to
| quit the diamond, either because he
| has rounded out the years of his ath
| lctic life or because injuries have
driven him into retirement? There is
no special vocation which attracts
| him, but in almost every case he takes
up some business or work far more
l,ambitious than that which occupied
1 him before he took up baseball, and
the mental stimulus which leads him
| to higher ideals of life must have been
| evoked by the national game and
must be credited to it.
You find the old-time ball players
| in every walk of life. Only recently
John X. Tener, once player on the
Chicago team, was elected Governor
| of the State of Pennsylvania. A. q.
| Spalding, one Of the great builders
OF organized baseball and once a
| famous pitcher on the Chicago Ma
| tional League team, is candidate
| for Senator of the United States from
California. John NJ. Ward, famous
| player of the old days, Is a lawyer in
| New York City. Ted Lewis, famous
as a pitcher for the Boston team only
! a few years back and once theolog-
ical student. is professor at Will
| liams College. During the recent cleo
| ton he ran for Congress in his dis
| trict, but was defeated although he
cut an enormous normal plurality of
| thousands down to about 700.
l. Butxthere. is no particular business
which may ebe pointed out as the choice
of.,the VAIL player, who is forced to
lretire ronathe diamond either on ac
CONT of Old ago or because of some
lfhshry. Undoubtedly many players
would prefer to remain connected with
| the national game if that We're pos
sible. Many have done so. But If this
| is not feasible you may be certain that
almost invariably the man who has
listened to the plaudits of the fan
while on the diamond Will select
| business considerably higher in the
| scale of employment than the bust
| ness he gave up to become a player.
and this undoubtedly shows that base
| ball tends to raise n mans ambition
and to bring out the best that is in
| him.
In speaking Of the men who have
been players. and have stuck to the
game in some other capacity, one must
first of all mention Charles Comiskey,
President of the White SoX. He was
one of the greatest first basemen that
ever played the game, and after his
years of usefulness as player passed
he gradually rose to be President ana
| owner of a major league team that
has made him thousands of dollars.
Just what Comiskey is worth at pres
ent nobody knows probably, but 1t Is
pretty certain that if he lives to the
ripe old age that he deserves he will
die a millionaire.
After a long experience with minor
league teams Comiskcy came to chi
cago 10 years ago, when the American
League was formed and broke into the
city prepared to battle for equality
with t,rp National League. The story
is toll. lau at the time. being in need
of money because of the great eX-
pensc lie was under in building his
new plant and securing a team he
went to a certain bank and tried to
borrow money on his franchise and on
his contracts With players. The cold
eyed banker could not see these docu-
turned down the loan with superior
smile it may be supposed A few
months ago Comiskey had over 5000, 900
on deposit in this same bank.
There are many other old PLAYERS
who have been successful in manag-
ing or owning teams, but Comiskey
has the call. Jimmy Callahan, the
former Sox pitcher and manager, owns
the Logan Square team, of the City
League, and has made money out of 1t.
He has also taken a chance in the
promoting game. Dear old cap" An
son also took a try at the semi-pro
game, and had a team in the City
| League the first year of that organiza-
TONS existence. but could not make
| money out Of it. At the present time
he is making a talk on the vaudeville
| stage, and is one of the few old-time
players who deserve success on the
stage, as lie is not trying to act.
4 In the Old DAYS saloon keeping used
70 be favorite vocation for retired
players, just as it was for fighters
hohad quit the ring, but this is not
liie - any longer. The chief reason
pNooau,*is that the Class of men in
oasepaN o|ay is higher than it was
in the old mes
Bridget DonAue. the old Cub CATCH
err, ran a saloo<s on Dearborn street.
near Washington " a time. Tinker.
although he has not onit the game
5 took a chance in the Moon business
some years ago, but ga if IN as a
r bad job. Since then he taken to
/ acting In tie off season.
| Everybody knows that john King
4 has a paying pool and billEN hall
e planted in Kansas City and is aav
to devote all his time to it wheN ME-
c leaves the diamond for good. jim
+; Donahue, formerly with the Win
r Sox. took a try at the poolroom bust
@ ness. and last season lie managed
C team in the City League-the sam
It team by the wav. which Arson han
E, died the year before.
- Little Johnny Evers, the king O
: secQnd basemen, who broke his foo
81 tbstt tefore the worlds series game
les Mis- year. has opened a shoe store il
ieago, where. with his partner
III .x.