The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-05-04
BIG LEAGUE GOSSIP

Willie Keeler, who is the Brooklyns' coach and scout. is receiving $500 a month for his valuable services. Kee- Ter and Dahlen, old pals. keep tne1r heads close together. They are tIy' ing to make the Brooklyns play some inside ball.
 The magnates are partially convinc- ed that the championship season De- gins too early. but they don't con- template a change in view of the way the fans are crowding round the box office windows.
 Hurb Perdue certainiy is getting away to a fine start. Johnny KhnS the Boston manager has two dandy youngsters in Perdue and Donneily. With Jack Coombs out the Athlet- ics aren't going to have such an easy time of 1t for the next month.
 Louden, last years Newark infield- CT. has made a big hit at Detroit |
 third base and Hugh JenHings says he will keep him there even after Mo- riarty returns.
 Russell Ford, Ed Walsh, Nap Ruck- CT, Walter Johnson and Christy Math- ewson are pitchers of note who have
 been oubjected to defeat this season.
 Rucker has started thrice against the Giants, beating them once and not lasting through the other two games.
 Owen Wilson of the Pirates is slam ming the ball harder this year than he did last, and that is going some. The chief is developing a choppy swing; he is choking the bat, and Is getting much better results. s His fielding IS
 as good as ever 1t was; in fact: the greatest bit of work yet turned in sc far was his sensational one-hand spear of a hard-hit ball to. deep center field Willie Keeler is the most scientific
 batter baseball ever knew. Lacking the physique of other great hitters. he
 batted in over 300 for 13 consecutive
 years. His brain oveTcame the phys ical handicap and he is one of the few who have batted 400 or better. From 1894 to 1908, inclusive, his average was 359. He retired wealthy. He invent ed and perfected scientific batting. He was signed by Ban Johnson because of his personal popularity as a mem: Der of the New York Americans, and the team became an immediate success But for the unwilangneAs of Char ley Somers to wreck the Portland club and handicap it's chances of winntns the Pacific coast league pennant in 1911, Bill Steen and Buddy Ryan would have been members of the Cleveland club last year. After Manager Wal l ter McCredie, of Portland. had inform ed S.xners that in addition to Gregg he had three other players, krapp. Olson and Fisher. who looked good enough for the American league, scout Sam Kennedy was sent to the coast to look them over, Sam followed the Bea- l vers for a month, the longest time he ever spent with one club for such purpose.
 A baseball fan, who has just com pleted an exhaustive study of the his | tory of the game from its earliest days. l has compiled unique list of the | biggest mistakes ever made in base ball" His list includes tho following: The trading of Mathewson by Cfncin- natl for Rusie; the deal by which St. Louis sent Miner Brown to the Cubs for Jack Taylor: the loss of a pennant by Jack Chesbro's wild pitch MarkIe's failure to touch second; the pitching of curved balls to Baker by Matty and Marquard the release o1 1 Miller Huggins by Griffith when man. aging the Reds; Sherwood Magee's assault upon Umpire F'inneran; the failure of Pittsburgh and Detroit te
 keep Grover Cleveland Alexander, and Cincinnatis turning down of Marty | O,TooJo