The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-22
ELBERFELD ONE
Of THEC CHARACTERS
Started Playing Baseball Be-
fore He Wore the Long
Unmentionables

New York. Dec. 22-Any person
has watched the game in Ameri-
can league circles can drop down into
Chattanooga e season and he will
recognize a familiar voice. yelling to
his fellow players to get u little pep"
handing the umpire a judicial roast
or two. and that voice is possessed by
Elbertield.
ing career in the annals and history
OF baseball and is perhaps the first
man to enter a professional league
with those abbreviated garments
known as short pants" The story
OF the Tobacco Tot as Norman is
best known, is filed with interesting
chapters.
To look at the manikin on the
diamond with his face creased, his
hair gradually losing ali physical
connection with his head, one would
believe the fiery little chap to be
forty years old. Such, however, Is not
the case. though in time of service on
the diamond he was one of the veter.
ans Of the leaguee.
Seventeen Years Ago
IT Is almost seventeen years ago
that a little chap. at that time 16
years old. hiked into C%larksville, KY,
from his home some miles away. He
was dirty. ragged. dusty. tired and
clad in those tiny pantaloons. He
had been in a train wreck and in
stead of making his destination in a
few hours was all night on the road.
He hustled into a place where they
rustled grub, took several snatches
to satisfy his hunger, and then he
sought the manager. The latter was
u at n ball park abusing Elher-
6aIf for his mona 1,rlc,o 20 tn nll
managerial fervor and with several
varieties of Kentucky accent.
The kid hustled up to him and said:
Are o the manager?" Yes l am,
what do you want?" my names
Elberfield; I'm the new player" Aft
er they brought his managerial high
ness to with the judicious application
OF smelling salts and mint julep he
took another peek and said: Whats
a half pint of cider like you going to
do here?"
To Play Ball
I'm going to play ball and show
you something" came the juvenile
response. And he certainly demon.
strated that day that he could play
ball for he won the game for Clarks-
Vile.
After the game the manager took
the kid aside and said: You stick
along here. but you've got to wear
long pants" I'll do that too." came
the, reply. only you've got to buy
them for me-: all I've got is a baseball
cap and a pair of baseball shoes"
1t was in this name hat Fiber.
field secured his first pair Of the long
unmentionabl es, but since that time
he has accumulated a wardrobe that
differs in sartorial construction CON
siderably from that pair of Kentucky
pantaloons.
The Kids progress from that time
onward and upward. He played
With the Phillies in the days Of Lajoie.
with Detroit and also the New
York Highlanders. Here he had a tenn
pestuous career. He was constantly in
trouble with the umpires and was not
the mar to stand either the gaff or
CUFF as far as the arbitrator were con-
cerned.
lowed Elberfield to drift into the min
ors. was at the helm OF the Yankee
crew. He was making a great fight in
1904. when a wild pitch of a spitball
Jack Cheshire allowed Freddie Par
to score in the tenth inning and
handed another championship to Bos-
ton.
Field Captain
Elberfield was the field captain for
Grit, ana nc was Il huStlinG lieutenant.
the cares of state appeared
to burden both with a bad temper and
they fought like cats and dogs for a
long time. That year injuries to the
Tomasco Kid cost Grif a pennant, as
Elberfield was out of the game many
times during the season.
When Griffith felt that the mana
gerial berth at New York was too
tough a stunt for one nan to perform,
resigned and went to Cincinnati.
being appointed in his stead.
the managerial position did
yield any particular fame to Ell
berfield. whose principal occupation
was handling his bunch of fives to UNI.
pires and telling them in blistering
exactly how he regarded them.
In Washington
Elberield finally landed in Washing.
ton and has been there until the pres
ent time. He has played every posi-
toni in the in1eld except the first
bag. 1t looked last year as II he were
destined to stay with Washington for
years but the advent Of
Griffith into the capital settled that
thing once and for all.
But Chattanooga ext season will
the opportunity Of watching one
Of the characters Of baseball go
through his daily stunt as the fiery,
peppery member of tho you-all inield.