The Washington herald., 1911-01-19
Rx WILLIAM PEET.

stat tted out to do business in the right
way, and will be watched as carefully
fby big league scouts as any organization
on the map.
First of all, this league has adopted
salary limit. Of $l,ooO month. which is
just about as strong as most of the clubs
can stand. Such a limit means that in
order to obtain talent the players must
be recruited from the semi-pro and anna
teur ranks.
No big league cast-offs Of value will
find their way into the Virginia circuit
One hundred dollars a month is hardly
alluring.'
No better experience in the world can
q young BAN player obtain than right
down in the Virginia League. as the ma
jority of the clubs are handled by vet
Grams, who know the game from every
possible angle.
Last seeason Johnny Priest, a Wash
ington boy. attracted the attention of the
New York Yankees. and was purchased
| from Danville. Harry Fanwell. pitcher.
was sold to Cleveland after he had shown
class with Roanoke.
These are just few examples of how
sand lot players with less than one year 8
experience In the Virginia League skip
the Eastern League and American Asso-
citation and land in the big show.
| Pursuing the same policy this year, the
Virginia League is sure to turn out
youngsters of big league timber, ball
players who would likely never have been
| heard from but for the opportunity af-
forded them Of joining organized ranks.
with the monetary consideration little
more than enough to pay board bills as
the only unpleasant feature.
Speaking Of the Virginia League, Wash
ington sends two promising youngsters
down for a trial in March. and it is pre-
dicted that both will make good.
| c. W. johnson. who goes under the
nickname Of ''Bif.'' has cast his lot
with Danville. He is a pitcher, and
has worked for the last two years on an
independent team in Fredericksburg. Va
Previous to that time he was a star on
the St Vincent's Of the Marquette
League and the vigilants. johnson is
twenty-three years. we'll built. has good
speed and a deceptive underhand ball.
| The other local youngster is Chick Da-
Wis, who goes to Roanoke. Davis played
on the sand lots here last summer. He
is nineteen years old, a sure fielder, and
! first-clasS hitter.
| Both boys have good habits, which
really counts for more than anything
| else in professional baseball.
The Washington Herald reprinted a
| story from a Western paper Tuesday
| morning to the effect that Jimmy Nc
Aleer was the first to discover Bobby
| Wallace, the present manager of the st.
Louis Browns.
One Of our local fans takes exception
| to the story and sends in the following
letter:
To Sporting Editor Of Tho Washington Herald:
Dear Sir: Your statement in this morning S
Herald with regard to Manager McAleer having
discovered Bobby Wallace about ten years ago
is entirely incorrect. at leas. 50 far as time IS
concerned Il remember Wallace . pitcher Of
the old Cleveland Nationals as far back as l8b
He remained a pitcher until either l@ or lss
whcn owing to the illness d "Chpr McGaH.
| Tebeau put him on third base. In fact it vas
pat Teheau who first realized the ability Of
Wallace to play the iufeid. and not McAlleer
Respectfully.
Down in Cuba the fans and scribes
are panning the Athletics for stallins
through the series, and claim that the
worlds champions hippodromed in all
OIL Ine games. lie lollo"iho ASP0AS
printed in one of the Cuban papers the
day following the Athletics final appear
ance: "Burlesque baseball by the Ath-
letics. the kind that would shame any
schooIboy club in the United States. was
passed out to 1000 people who paid their
good money at Almendares park to see
the real article. Spectators were dis
gusted with the showing Of the Athletics.
Hundreds quit the grounds before the
second game was half over. Their opin-
ion was that the work of the big
leaguers was rotten in the superiative
degree. Cuban fans say that they have
never before received such a raw deal
from a big league team that was paid
a small fortune to come here. There
is no denying that baseball enthusiasm
in this city has received severe blow
because of the Athletics conduct. How
ever, the exhibition Of the Athletics yes
terday was only on a par with their past
performances on this trip. 1t didn't mat
ter to them that they had received
princely guarantee to come here. and that
they were facing Ole Of the biggest
crowds that ever turned out on this
island. They simply put up bluff at
playing"
Yarns have oft been sprung wherein
an umpire handed out a quieting bit of
repartee to a ball player. and also where
in the ball player got away with the de-
cision over the jumps in the swapping of
airy persifiage, but here is one in which
each got in a haymaker.
While Fred Tenney was playing with
Lowell in the New England League last
summer, one Of the jumps he bumped
against from time to time was Umpire
Rorty. Rorty's decisions didn't please
Tenney one afternoon, and he said. quiet
ly, for the jumps benefit alone: Gee,
but you're SO rotten this afternoon. that
you smeli!"
YES 1 know. that's why we're both
down in this league" answered Rorty
without hesitation. Tenney smothered a
grin and came back again: "Yes; but
there's a difference; you're rotten in
your head and I'm rotten in my feet"
Draw decision and everybody was sat
isfied.
Should Christy Mathewson serve out
his new contract with the Giants he will
have the enviabIe record Of having
pitched fourteen years with che same
major league team. Mathews0n's record
in the eleven years he has drawn sal
ary from John r. Brush Is - victories
and lis defeats. . percentage Of - As
his percentage last year was .7S3. itAmay
be seen that big Six" IL not going back
to any extent Matty's ambition Is to
80 A. 81 A. n usVael kH< H.