Bisbee daily review., 1912-03-31
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Major Clubs Scan Recruits
 In Hopes Of Finding Stars

ured out the possibilities and bene-
 fits to be derived from the workouts
 in the south.
 It is strange that as a rule, players
 for whom the major lague owners
 pay the most deliver the least. Of course there are exceptions, but there are any number of players who once commanded almost fabulous figures as
 minor leaguers who are back in the
 bushes after a brief trial in the big show. It is hard to understand such
 a condition yet it exists. IL would
 seem that these minor. leaguers who
 shine so brightly in their own com
 pany. and who impress wise scouts
 that they recommend the paying of
 fancy prices, should have no trouble
 in making good. Yet baseball records
 reveal failures by the score.
 Naturally when some big price is
 paid for a recruit, such a sale brings
 that young man into much prominence and causes his name to be placed up in the headlines Of every sport page, from the small Hamlet to the biggest city. Whether the advance stun makes the public expect a great deal more than it should, or whether : it makes the player feel that he should show a great deal more ability than
 he possesses is a problem yet to be solved. Yet there is no getting away l from the fact that the much tOuted 1 players fall way below the expecta- | tions. There is a reason of course. { but it is hard to deciIher.
 The Pittsburg club paid 2,500 for | Marty OTOOle last year It is a | question if any base ball player ever 1 had the baseball spotlight hit him | stronger Fans figured that a pitcher l who could commanel such unheard of 1 figures must surely De a wonder. Mar i ty OToole is undoubtedly a great ] pitcher. Yet it is a good bet that any
 number of ians have had that $22,500 ] impressed so strongly upon them that ! Thenominal feats performed by O. ] TooIe will not receive more than i passing attention. Any time he does ! anything out of the ordinary, fans will regard such feat one that should be performed by a s32. 300 beauty. If
 some pitcher who had not been tout ] ed strongly in, the advance notices ! performed the same feat his name ! would be on the lips of every ian. , . 1 could have anything worse happen to ] him than to be purchased by some ma l ior league club for a fancy salary. ! There seems to be a hoodoo connect | ed with this big money stuff. There ! are any number Of players who can i bear witness to this among them Jack ! Thoney, Heinie Berger Rube Mar 1 quard, Russell Blackborne. Rube Ben
 ton, and a host of others. The big ] figures for these players cause fandOm l to expect too much and make the play . CT feel away above par from the
 very outset. As a result he tries too ! hard, gets out Of his stride, and instead ' of making a big class showing he fails
 to display even mediocre ability. Very l often such a reversal of form causes
 a loss O. confidence and a loss Of con. 1 hdence means a trip back to the old
 folks.
 Such stars as Ty Cobb. Walter John
 son, Hans Wagner. ChTisty Mathew ! son, Nap Lajoie and many others, ] cost their club very little money. They came unheralded, but soon won fame ! by their deeds
 1 lt is a difficult position to pass up J minor league star whose showing ! caused you 10 pass over the neighbOr- hood of s1U,00O in real money Many a 1 manager would have parted with I Rube Marquard, but not Johnny Me : Graw. He held tight to the $ll,000 beauty when Marquard was being re . ferred 10 as the prize 90 cent lemon ! McGraw's judgment was finally vindi-
 cated by the work Of Marduard last l summer. when his pitching helped to
 gain the pennlnt for the giants.
 Star ball players are a mighty ! scarce article; that is why Jimmy | Callahan is sticking to Blackburne . who cost Chicago $S,O00, also why
 Cincinnati is holding tight to Rube Benton, who cost the Reds a similar
 amount On the form he showed in ] the Cincinnati-Cleveiand series last
 year, would say Benton had arrived. l No wonder major league club leaders ; closely are following the work of ! of the men in the south, hoping the | crop may produce a few CObbs. La , fofae ,r Warmers