The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-18
WHY CAMPBELL
LEFT BASEBALL
MidwintaT Diamond Converse
tiOnS Worried Him.
PESTERED BY FANS CHATTER.

Wherever He Went Pittsburg Young
ster Was Quizzed by TaIkative Bugs
About National Pastime-Fred Clarke
Also a Talk Victim.
Nothing is so nauseating to the ball
player as the pestiferous fan who in
sists upon talking to and making the
acquaintance of every pill tosser. The
bug who calls the ball player by his first
name on the street is never liked by
the exponent of the national pastime.
On the contrary, he is despised. The
travelling man who butts into the ball
players conversation in the hotel lob
by Is lucky to get away without his
facial architecture materially changed
But so long as the baseball is the ma
tional game so long will the ball play
ers be pestered by the bugs.
We know of one instance where a
great young player gave up lucrative
position on the diamond because he
couldn't stand to be the target for an
endless amount of inane questions shot
his way by the idol worshipers. The
player in question was Vincent Camp
bell, who lately returned to the Pitts.
burg club.
Campbell quit baseball at the windup
of the 1910 season, after he had made
one of the greatest records of any
young fielder in the game, simply be-
cause he was obliged to talk ''shop"
everywhere he went during the win
ter. Whether in a cafe, ballroom,
drawing room or on the streets, Camp
bells friends invariably made baseball
the sole topic of conversation when he
was around. 1t seemed as though
these friends" figured that unless
they talked baseball they would not
make chit" with Mr.. Campbell.
Now, quite the contrary is true. Had
they talked Of reciprocity, of which
Campbell knows little, he would have
been infinitely more pleased.
Or had they talked about logarithms
or anything else but baseball Vim
would be much more at home.
Campbell is not an exception. Rath-
er he is the rule Ball players
! never whit W ldlh IhSy hCNSi
want to discuss 'today's game" es-
pecially with man who is not play
er. Occasionally a ball player will
become much enthuSed with base
ball argument If some technical point
of the game is involved. If he can talk
with a man who can converse intelli'
gently on the great game he is pleased
l bod Hrrhn EnnXp
baseball that a player Is taking a
chance all the time.
Fred Clarke manager of the Pirates
was driven to an obscure farm in Kan
sas by the pestiferous fan. Most bal
players who realize that they can
make bit of money out of baseball
hike to farm in the off season sim
ply to avoid the talkative bug. Many
players like Campbell quit the game
rather than be pestered to death with
the lifeless arguments of their alleged
friends and admirers.
When Campbell was requested to
rejoin the Pirates in st. Louis recent
ly he was asked why he didn't repor
at the start of the season.
Didn't you like your contract?" sait
Clarke to the young broker.
"Yes," was Campbell's reply.
,, "Well, didn't you like the players? ?
continued Clarke.
"Yes," was Campbelps answer.
whats the matter, then?" demand
ed Clarke.
. "Well," said Campbell, 81 can't stan'
! to be talking baseball all winter"
That's my FIX exactly" said Clarke
/, 81 can't stand the bugs, so every win
: ter hike away to a farm in Kansas
The fans have driven me to that farm
for refuse to have my peace of min
upset all winter"