Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-22
Speaker Tells How He Made Good
@ o O O @ O 9
Got Real Start Under Mike Finn

professional services could not cure
me Of It, and, incidentally, 1 thought
for a while that it might cost me
my place in big league baseball-is
one Of the worst that can dampen
the ardor OF anyone.
I had been playing professional
baseball for a little more than a year
when the Red Sox recalled me after
farming me out to Little Rock TO
learn baseball as II should be played
under Mike Finn. and, take It from
me. II there IS any manager in tho
business who can teach baseball II Is
Finn. He is now the manager OF
the Mobile club OF the Southern
League.
The first day that I played with the
Red SOx was on Labor Day, 1907.
Talk about being nervous, a debutante
wasn't In II with me. I was so nerv-
Gus that If I had had the nerve I
think I would have packed my buds
and gone back home without trying
to make good. But. then, l possessed
probably l should say that I was
imbued with-a little ambition.
don't mean to appear egotistical in
saying this 1t was nothing more than
the natural ambition which forces
every young man ahead regardless OF
vocation. l made up my mind that
as long as l had reached the big
league I was going to try and stick
II out. This ambition did not in tho
least alleviate the Qualms which
caused my knees to knock together.
1 imagined that every one in the
stands could see my knees trembling.
My mind was more on my knees and
my own feelings, think, than it was
on the ball game.
7 NEVER got over that feeling of
stage fright for the remainder OF
that season. Every time l went to
bat or every time a fly ball came my
way in the outfleld l feared l would
not hit or catch 1t. However, 1t just
took me that length of time to get
used to the fact that at last l had
attained the goal that / had set for
myself when l started out with tho
Cleburne club Of the North Texas
League, my first professional engage
ment, in the spring Of 1905. The fol-
lowing year, am speaking Of the fol-
lowing year that l was with the Red
SOX as a regular felt more at
home. and that feeling has been
growing on me ever since.
In the first few games that played
with that club I hit pretty WELL and It
was not long before they transferred
me from pitching and made me over
into an outielder. At first the switch
hurt my feelings. / wanted to be a
pitcher, and to be switched suddenly
to the outfeld was an injury to my
pride. You know how kids are in
clined to regard outfielders. Before
the youngsters begin to appreciate
the workings Of a baseball machine
and all its cogs, and how each posi-
ton is important in itself and for
itself-you see, they do not have nine
players on a club because nine sounds
better than siX-the outfielder seems
about the last thing in baseball. On
a kid team It Is the hardest thing to
get youngster to play the outtield.
The star player is generally the pitch
er or the catch and the rest rate
according to their ability until in
the outfield are found those who can
neither catch nor hit
TOWARD the seasons end in 1906
I was purchased by the Houston
club Of the Texas League. and played
center field there part Of the season,
when I was bought by the Red Sox.
was Immediately farmed out to Little
Rock for seasoning and recalled in
September Of 1907. While with the
Of Mike Finn, l had a great season.
led the league in hitting and man
aged to cover a deal of ground in
the outfeld; also, l made a fair show
ing on the bases. I attribute this good
work entirely to the finishing touches
that Finn put on my natural ability,
II l may be permitted to say that
l did possess a little natural ability.
As TO why l can hit, l cannot say.
just try to keep my eye on the ball
all the time and take a hefty swing
at 1t. Sometimes l am fortunate
enough to hit 1t, and then sometimes
1 don't. Let me add that ! think the
greatest factor in the success of a
ball player is keeping ones eye on the
ball at all times. Keep your eyes
open and watch the veterans. See
what they do, when they do It, and
how they do 1t. Whenever the op-
portunity presents itself discuss base
ball with them. Baseball is like
everything else-it is a study.