The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-24
THE MeeRAw OF IDAHO
He Is John Mitchell, Former Captain
of the Bennington Team

The Boise, Qda) Statesman of
June 2. contains the following com
plimentary article which will be read
with pleasure by the large number OF
friends made by John Mitchell while
with the Bennington baseball team
three years ago:
"The splendid record of Is games
played and not one lost which the
Boise high school team made this
year, was due TO great extent to the
excellent coaching and leadership of
John c. Mitchell WHAT McGraw is
to the Giants, what Connie Mack is
to the Athletics, what Frank Chance
is to the Cubs, Coach Mitchell has
been to the local team-and more,
because these major league mentors
have well trained players-the best
in the world-to start with
But Coach Mitchell started with
bunch of green players who had no
idea of inside baseball, no idea OF
team work.
1.-The fast little team which repre-
scented the Boise high school this
year was the result of two years Of
the hardest kind of work on the part
of Mitchell.
"At the beginning of the season OF
1911 Mitchell started out to build up
championship team, but, just as 1t
has happened so often even in the big
leagues. his team did not win the
banner the first year. 1t was defeat
ed early in the season, and many scep
tical supporters deserted the team.
Mitchell worked on and on until by
the end of the season he had a fast
little machine that was beginning to
work the interior stuff
During the past season Mitchell
has worked as though inspired. Him
self a pitcher, he gave the team hours
of batting practice daily; perhaps the
reason for Bosses good batting in
games is that Mitchell pitched to the
team for two months this spring.
"Mitchells work appeared to best
advantage so far as the press box
could see in getting runs. 1t was his
headwork that enabled the team TO
pull off so many hit and run plays
and double steals. II was his head
work that enabled the team to play in
such a manner that the real baseball
fans stayed all through the Pioneer
game after Pioneer was hOpelessly
defeated just>>to see the local team
play.
There is a reason for Mitchells
success. He has a record as play
er of the national game of which
many big Lacquer would be proud
For four years he was the star pit
cher for Dartmouth college. During
that time lie defeated Holy Cross,
Yale, HARVARD, Princeton, Cornell,
Maine. Williams, Amherst and Penn
sylvania. When il is remembered
that Chief Meyers OF New York
caught for Dartmouth, and that many
other of the major league players
came from Dartmouth and the other
eastern colleges, one can realize what
IL means to have pitched Dartmouth
to victory. He batted over 800 IN
that company
Mitchell played for Boise in the
old Idaho state league in the days OF
Walter Johnson.
"Mitchell's experience and knowl-
edge of the game, together with his
fine spirit and hard work. have IN
spired confidence in the players and
players and fans alike are hoping that
he will remain with Boise another
year. although he is wanted in bigger
| fields
Some good pitchers have helped TO
make the reputation of the Benning-
ton team during the four years that
professional ball has been played
here. Without rejecting upon the
ability of any of the boxmen who
have pitched the team TO its share OF
victories. it can justly be said that
a gamier man than Mitchell never
wore a toeplate on a Bennington dia'
mond The fans who are accustomed
to gather in the select corner of the
grandstand directly behind the plate
used TO say that Mitchell, or Taxi
as he was known to the dyed-in-the-
wool cranks, didn't have much on
the ball" This was in a measure
true, for Mitchell's hand is too small
to give him the grip necessary for the
throwing of wide or sharp curves
What he lacked in delivery, however
he made up in baseball intelligence
and his courage carried him through
many a hole that would have beer
too deep for less neryy player. He
didn't win all OF his games while with
Bennington and he was bumped good
and hard by some of the hardhittinl
aggregations that faced him, bu
there wasn't a team OF the series thai
could claim that it got Mitchell:
goat" Opposing players batted hin
hard as they hit all pitchers at times
but they were never able to bat tn,
smile from his face or to make hin