El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-06

lew YORK, n Y, Jan 6.-Base-
nj ball scouts are a comparatively
Il y new institution in the national
game. and without doubt they have
been of great assistance in strengthen
ing big league teams and in bringing
into the limelight star players. who
otherwise might never have been
heard oflonly in their immediate neigh
bOrhOOd.
1t was due to scout that Ty Cobb
was unearthed down in Georgia, and
that grand player is only one Of the
many who owe their present reputa-
lions to men who roam the country
from one end to the other in search Of
talent that promised to become big
league timber
The discovery of Cobb, in fact, was
the incentive that caused other clubs
than the Detroit organization to send
out agents in the hope that another
Cobb would be the reward Of all the
expense that was incurred by the new
departure
Soon there was a swarm of en-
bryo Christopher COlumbuses, who
penetrated into the most distant back
woods districts in their endeayors to
dig up phenOms.
Scouts After Jobs.
Managers Of clubs were swamped
with applications for jobs as scouts,
and in their desire to duplicate the
good fortune of the Detroit club, man
ayers took all kinds of chances and
engaged men as scouts VINO were abso-
lutely useless on account Of their ignO-
rance of baseball and the qualifications
required that produce a real ball
player
The scouts would see a men perform
IN one game. and if the latter hap
pened to have a good day" on that
particular occasion the telegraph wires
would be set on fire to headquarters
to secure the "dazzler.' Headquarters
would fall" for the lofty talk and the
recruit would be bought outright at
price so high that the club selling him
would be able TO continue for another
month at least, whereas otherwise the
club would have been IN the UnrOeS OF
disarmament and dissolution.
The scout system has been q great
boon to webbing little clubs run by
the village barber-the towns one
baseball fan-and visiting scouts grew
far on the hospitality shown them
with free shaves thrown in. The ad-
vance guard consequently lived on the
fat of the land and counted their sue
cess on quantity rather than quality
But not so the clubs who were
obliged to pay for the freight for all
the junk shipped to them by their
too ambitious agents The latter
were spurred on TO their sublime
heights Of discovery by rivalry
Frequently several scouts would
meet accidentally in the same town at
the same time and professional 1eal-
Ously would overcome their crude
judgment and players would be recon-
mended that were OF no more promise
as possible corners" than Charley
Faust.
agents Called in.
Occasionally some scout would De
fortunate enough in his blind stab into
the 'phenOm' grab bag 10 get a prize,
but they were so few and far between
that finally the big league clubs. for
their own protection, were forced 20
call in their enthusiastic agents for
a call down, so that gradually the bar
Der shop element among the scouts
was eliminated and the present system
adopted that has brought into the
scouting field old ball players who, by
their experience Of the game and
knowledge of players make fewer
mistakes. even if they do not ma Ike /
good in digging up embryo CObbs.
There is no haphazard way now OF
selecting d player recruit The veteran /
player now acting as scout is in |
structed TO remain with one club IN ]
which a promising yOungster is play |
ing until he is absolutely sure Of the 1
youngsters ability and then TO make /
his report
Scout Mcmahon. the old Baltimore /
OriOle pitcher. who was scouting for 1
the Giants. stayed with the Utica, /
n Y. club for over a month before ]
he was satisfied that young Burns was /
good enough to become a Giant That 1
Burns is to be given chance in the /
Giants OutGeld, according to McGraw, |