The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-01-24
BALLPLAYER BEST
BETWEEN 80 AND So
LANES n. MAILER GIVES OUT AN
INTERVIEW WEIGH WILL SUR
PRISE MANY BASEBALL
FANS.
CEs1ffalo Enquirer

"a baseball player ought to be at
ais best between thirty and thirty
Ave. said James RI McAleery and
he ctaSht to have $4,000 while in base
The author of the aforesaid ought
to. be some authority on the subject,
bscaAse he was playing the game
about that age. Moreover being chief
mogul of the champions of the world,
hfs observations concerning diamond
attAet1cg ought TO carry some weight
II McA1eers remark is actually true,
1hen BASEBALL Ia TlnQueSeionably the
BEST OF all outdoor sports, so far es the
players thereof are concerned. In
no other branch Of athletics can a
man, as q rule, stand the strain after,
say twenty-seven twenty-eASht, and
nsarly all Of them begin to go back
have saved $50, 900 at the age Of tIKir-
ty-ftve7
's0f course a man isn't SO fast after
thirty as he was before added the
learned TO think by that time, and he
should be more valuable to his club
Tidad he has taken care of himself,
As evidence McA1eer might mention
Jimmy Archer, the Cub premier CATCH
er, who Is regarded one OF the best
'Chief Bender, who will be thirty
next May, and who is still some
-'6hisf,s kotwith standing he hasn't
tAkst such good care OF himself as an
athlete should; Al Brfdwe1l, who is
thIrty-two; ATordecal Brown, thirty
seven; Jimmy Callahan, tl1irty-ni1e;
thirty; Fred Clarke forty-one, and
VITO was playing manager OF the Pi-
rates until after he was tuirty-nine;
s-Clif' Cravafh, thirty-one; Sam Craw-
ty-one: Harry Davis, who has just
gone back to help put the Athletics
on their feet again at forty; Red"
who, was doing things at thirty-five
Kid Eaberfelds who is thirty seven;
Johnny Evers. thirty: Rtzssell Ford,
Hugfzie Jennings. fOrty-three; Johnny
1hirty-siE; Lefty, Leifisid. thirty;
aaathswson. who pitched the best game
in his career last October when he
was just past tlairty-twe; Mcbride.
two; Mike Mitchell, thirty; Earl
Moore. tfairty-foq1r'; Mike Mowrey,
thirty; George Mullin, thirty three;
Eddie Plank ttrirty-eight; Ed Reul-
credited with thirty-four years, but
VINO, they say, IS two years older;
.9abby Street. thirty; JACK stahi.
Jes Tinker. thirty; 1onus Wagner,
thiFty-nine.
bfSAIeer might mention these, but
he would Immediately start a dispute,
IL he did-a dispute as to whether ALL
or the most of these. were not better
before thirty than AFTER, ana WhetheTs
after thirty they were not going
back In fact, it is very likely that,
without mentioning names McA1eer
HAS started a winter dispute already
Let's see what happens now that he
has 6pened q little argument for the
fans
rs a baseball player at his best be-
tween thirty and thirty-five?"
The SoK president made this remark
during a conversation in which he was
asked how much he thought a big
league baseball player ought to save
during his career on the diamond.
afcAleer put the figure at some $780,
Oeo. The average life of ball play
ef, who takes care of himself in the
big league, is not much more than
ten years. Most of them enter about
twenty-five and few survive beyond
fhirty-two of Whereabouts. A good
year; an exceptionally good one more
up 70 from s., 900 to $1,000 or So, 000-
after he becomes a star. There are
many frugal ball players and Nc
Aieerss figures must be based upon
the ability of those fellows ITO save
Ewo-thfrds or tl1ree-fourths of their
baseball salaries, earning enough in
winter to make up the balance of the
cost of living
A hustiiiasr ball player-one of the
kind who gets into the big leagues and
Eticks-ougnt to make 100000 or $4,000
during his career, even if he never
never becomes a star. McAIeer's be-
lief that he can save $4,000 is based
upon the fact that a players neceS-
Hary expenses are slight in the play
make enough during the six months
layer to allow him to save two-thirds
or three-feurths of his salary.
New Yorlk-Mrs Lena Weiss, sec.
ond of Charles Weiss five wives, sug-
ere<faf7 t0 the court that the bfRa i%f