The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-28
BASEBALL FIELD
UNPARALLELED FOR
BUSINESS CAREERS

| NEW YORK, Dec. 2T.-Several fans
entitled to membership IN the winter
league By virtue OF their failure to
forget baseball, were sitting In the
lobby of Broadway hotel the other
day. Il can't understand" said one
| between puffs. why ball players are
always kicking. The truth is, they
/ don't know how lucky they are !"
These were words of wisdom indeed
| Wen admit that there are cases
where players have every reason to
| become disgruntled. But they are
/ In the minority. The sum and solid
substance OF the whole matter is the
majority don't realize how well oft
they are. The chronic kickers for
get that 1t is baseball that has made
them and that If il hadn't been for
the national game they would stil be
struggling in obscurity to earn a COM
monplace livelihood.
There has been a lot of talk from
time to time that the ball player is
the most downtrodden of the human
race. Slavery has been linked with
his name. But there is no such word
known In baseball today. While there
are trying moments IL ball play
er's career. on the other hand the
opportunities to get ahead offset these
Its up 20 the man alone to succeed
and the history OF the game shows a
number OF cases whore men began
with practically nothing who after
ward assembled the ladder Of success
volume could be written on this
point alone.
Difference of Opinion.
Years ago ball players didn't have
the same opportunity to make money
that they do now. They 6idn't get
the salaries. Few ever saved their
money. and as a rule, after they quit
the game they were forced to drop
into obscurity. But it's different to-
day. The wise men in baseball are
awake. And when we speak OF wise
men in baseball this covers a wide
territory; for there are many, En-
lightened by the lesson Of those be
fore them, the present generation Is
putting by The money that seemingly
comes in easy to them -or a rainy
day.
There are failures IN baseball as
well as successes out on the Pacific
coast there Is a former star who is
working as {. day laborer for 81
day. Now and then he picks up a
few stray dollars tipping Off managers
to embryo stars, This man is Amos
Rusie, whose name is engraved in
baseball's history as one OF the great
est pitchers the game has ever known
Yet IL doesn't take the public long to
forget the once great New York
pitcher, for once he started on the
down grade he soon passed to OBJ
nvion.
Bugs Raymond was another A
truly wonderful pitcher. but he could
not stick to the straight and narrow
path. Connie Mack once 1aid the &c
centric RUDE Waddell had $4,000
arm and a 10-cent head" That ac-
counted for his downfall. Purely as
an instance, here are the cases OF
three great players, Everything was
In their favor, but their eyes weren't
open.
A ball player has plentx cf chances
to save money. The most of them
do nowadays. for many .,es lie that
after they have spent the better part
of their years In the gam. It is too
late to begin at the bottom in some
other line of business. Some Of them
are beating Father Time while they
still play baseball. The unsophisti-
Gated fan imagines that the hal play
er can't do anything hut play ball
The truth is. many players plrticu-
larry the c0llegians, were trained for
other businesses before they ever
started professional baseball careers
OF course, there ts that type of play
er who can't do anything else but
play ball bilt he is gettin@ 10 h. in
he minority