The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-28
BASEBALL KNOCKERS
By MONTY

New York, January (Special.)-That
 baseball players. are human and have human instincts can be accepted as an axiom They have their likes and dis | likes, just as have all other mortals, but
 the ways in which they exhibit them are sometimes most singular. It has been said that when ball
 player acquires an aversion for anything
 or for any place, nothing can erase it. That may be true, and again 1t may not but the fact remains that there is
 one city in the big league circuits which
 players seem to try to steer clear of if already there, they strain to get away,
 and, once gone, never return, II they can help it.
 That town is St. Louis.
 The reason is not that St. Louis is not a good baseball city. It is good one. In fact, 1t Is too good, and that lis where the answer lies.
 After comparing the crowds, both in size and l<ind that turn out at the diff ferent big league parks, through several years, no other conclusion can be drawn than that the Mound City has the most rabid bunch of baseball fanatics in the l country. They are a boon to the mag | nate, but bane to the player. They study baseball and, as a rule, know | baseball much better than the brother fan in. say. for instance, Chicago or | Philadelphia, with all their champion teams.
 These bugs" go into spasms of enthu- siasm and delight over a players work when it is good, but they employ equal | ly extreme methods in evincing their dis- | pleasure when his efforts are unproduc- | tive of results. They have an efficient booster band" but the "knockers' club can play rings around the other gang. | And they do so; have been doing so for | ba Tho llpnQnllaritV of player is so magnified by the fans that
 the manager has to get rid of him wheth- | CT he wants to or not
 l Result: Every club excepting one. the Washington Americans, in both National and American leagues, has at least one former St, Louisan on it's roster, and, | in practically every case the St. Louis turn-down is making good with ven geance, some as players, some as man agers and some as club presidents. Every position on the diamond is represented by | them.
 Those in the National league are: New | York, Manager McGraw and Outhelder | Jack Murray: Boston, Outfielder Mike | Donin and Pitcher Cy Young; Brooklyn, Outfelder Hub Northern: Pittsburg, Out fielder Vincent Campbell, Third Baseman
 Bobby Byrne and Pitcher Lefty Leifield; Chicago, Outfielder .Artie Holman and | Pitcher Ed Reubach; Cincinnati, Pitcher
 Arthur Fromme; Philadelphia, Pitcher
 Earl Moore.
 Those in the American league are: Am
 letics, Pitcher Cy Moran: Detroit secohu Baseman Delahanty: Cleveland, Catcher | Sid Smith and Outfielder Arthur Grlgss' Boston, President McAleer; Chicago, Pres
 ident Comiskey; New York, Outneloer
 Harry Wolter and Third Baseman Roy
 Hartzell.
 Out of that array could be selected a pick up team able to beat either of tho aggregations that will represent St. Lotus
 in the two big leagues this year
 Impatience of the fans has taken tue scalp of many a big league mahager' They are not willing to wait and give mn
 a chance to develop the talent on hand That is the root of the trouble with S1 | Louis If the fans there would let tne manager have chance to try out the mef and not force him to snap judgment, ohe town might have another pennant some time before the twentieth century ends II is their very over anxiety to have Win ner that proves q boomerang ana keeps
 pennant away.
 | While St Louis. is an extreme. or this tyne of feversh hasty baseball populace there are many other towns in many oth' CT leagues whose baseball inhabitants ars