The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-07-18
The Making Of q Big League
Ball Payer.


zine Hugh S. Fullerton writes an
article entitled THE Making of a
Big Lacquer" 1t is a true story
of the development of one of the
greatest ball players in the United
States as told by himself to Mr..
Fullerton This player, of course,
began the game as a boy and pass
ed through all the stages from
amateur to minor league teams,
and then into the big league. In
this early experience he became a
great victim of the .swelled head, .
and finally lost his position on the
big league team. After many vi
cisitudes he lost his 'Swelled head
and got into the big league again,
where, today, at thirty-four years
of age, he is one of the great vete-
rams of the game. OF his final en-
trance into the big league he says:
"In June, l was purchased for a
large sum by the club which then
was the strongest in the country.
didn't say-a~Nord about money, all
1hucgh the cub paid over four
thousand dollars for me. The new
manager sat down with me in the
hotel the night l joined his team.
All 1 want he said, is for
you to get out there and hustle and
behave yourself. I've heard you're
hard to handle, but I'll take a
chance
You won't have any trouble
with me- l assured him. All |
want is a chance to show that l
can play
You'll get all the chance you
want he said, quietly. You're in
the lineup tomorrow
stage fright. Did you ever
suffer it? l did that night. My
nerves were jumping and a thousand
times 1 figured out -plays-yes and
made them-in planning what |
would do the next day.
I'VE were playing game against
team which we figured We would
have to beat out to win the cham
pionship. l pictured myself hitting
home runs and making triple plays,
and when | awoke in the morning
was nervous, a shaky, uncertain
and scared ball player. In practice
before the game everything hit my
way / either fumbled or threw wild
my nerves were rags. The crowd
seemed to be sorry for me-when
they weren't hooking. 1t was a
relief when the game started.
Il was second at bat in the line
up, on a foreign field and with a
hostile crowd roaring. The first
man flied out Wait him out.
Take two, said the manager as
picked up a bat. The first pit
ched ball cut the heart of the plate
saw it all the way up and knew
it would have been easy to hit hard,
yet l let it go. Strike one the
umpire yelled, and the crowd howl
ed. / was cool as a Boston east
wind. The second ball came whiz-
zing up, straight over the plate with
nothing on it, and | itched to hit
yet let it go for the second strike.
Then / settled to hit, expecting
curve ball. The curve went wide,
a fast one went high and wide. |
figured that the pitcher thought he
had sucker at bat and would
curve one over. He came with
fast ball foot high and | swung at
it and struck out. My heart near
ly got spiked as it sank into my
toes going back to the bench.
% That's the boy said the man
ager. Wait him out Make. him
pitch
Il could have kissed him for
those words. | went TO short with
my nerves steady and my system
full of confidence. The first ball
hit was sizzler over second.
got the ball with one hand and
there wasn't a chance TO throw the
runner out if | stopped to straigh-
ten up, so | threw without looking
and without waiting, and plunged
forward onto my face. The yell
from the crowd told me the first
baseman had caught it, and as l
scraped the dust out of my eyes
and trotted back to position l felt
at home. | wasn't excited nor elat-
ed, but the confidence that had car
ried me through the minor leagues
came back with a rush and all fear