The Detroit times., 1913-01-03
keller OUTSTRIPPED BY
JENNINGS And M'CRAW
Though Called Greatest of Big
Four, He Is Now the
Least Prominent
FAILED TO BECOME A
BASEBALL MANAGER
Gradually Sank Into Obscurity
Instead of Grabbing a
Big Job

Jennings, shortstop; McGraw, third
base; Kelley and Keeler. outfcld-
these we're the Big Four Of the IA
nous orioles
Jennings is now our Tigers man
ager; McGraw Is the boss OF the New
York Giants.
Joe Kelley Is managing the Toronto
team I'm the International league.
Willie Keeler Is the only one cf the
Big Four not at the head OF a team.
re is engaged 10 coach the Brooklyn
youngSters.
or the four men, Keeler Is the least
prominent IN sebaii today Yet
they say that OF the four players
Keele1 was the greates..
IT., when these men we're playing,
any ore would have been askee rho,
lf any was destined to lead some later
Iroop OF husky gents to international
fame The answer would have oeen
xomethlng Ike this: ''Keeler is sne
gink to do II, for amt he the to- liner
. ir the oriole quartetg And cant ne
make more hits, get to first ot.enef,
land more runs, drive In more fGliles
and steal more bases than any ~ the
others? Sure. Mike. Keller Will De
famous. as manager some day..
So the patient reader Will zlrmise
hat the probabilities were with Keel
sr. In the popular conception, while
the actualities gave him the go-hy and
aiishte.i on the other quartet mem
bsrs.
Keeler bumped the pellet In the
grand old style OF headliner IN the
days OF Bill Lange. OF the Chicago
. Colts. Come folk have q fond remeIn-
4 brance OF I1ange, and allege te wan
.he beat ever ef q ball player. Some
now they forget that during those
same years when Lange was n mrs
best Keeler had II, over him in every
department. In those same years he
Satted higher and was considered the
.reatest player OF the age. lie was
the Ty Cobb OF the period. but, unlike
LANCE. he did not step aside when his
powers OF slambanging began to peter
ont. Hence much Of the glories that
he Nwrung from the big show IN his
palmy days Is swallowed up BY the
also-ran proclivities that nature de-
veloped since.
In his case there were two ways to
stay famous-become successful
managcr or quit. H. did neither.
When the Baltimore team was sub
iect to managerial disintegratioE at
the hands OF Ned Hanlon and the i'm
p+riaI highnesses OF the National
issgue Keeler already was slowly
going back. But he stIll was head and
shoulders above he general run OF
high class performers and was taken
along to Brooklyn when the Balti-
more club was given the Indian sign
and suddenly Snd overnight deprived
OF its great stars and left With the
bench warmers in the regular lineup.
Keeler went to BROOKLYN and helped
Hanloh materially in winning arother
pennantS
Finally Keeler reached tho point
where he was not good enougl, for
the big league. He had bean Oh his
shoulderpips that was worth two Of
any others in the league. but his
muscles were getting tardy. y was
then rhat he was fired into the Inter
national league, where he played tor
Toronto. He had gray hairs BY this
time. and really looked like a patri-
arch cut In the field. one whom, the
crowd vas wont to look upon With
more sympathy than satisfaction
He now Is coach on the Brooklyn
team. something that seems To je a
irst-class Job for a person who once
was the greatest ball player In the
hlz; he at least can teach youngsters
IN the big show the proper way 10 act,
though he no longer can do much In
the way OF being an example.
II IL Idle to surmise that the hurl'
ing in Keeler's day was not mp tc the
present brand, and that It permitted
wee Willie" TO get high swatttng
average with less skill than Co5p or
Speaker displays today. Take It from
McGraw and jennings that Cy Y 'ung
and Amos Rusie knew how TO twist
EN- over. Ant Keeler was respected
by those immortal slabmen In way
that perhaps Mathewson, Wood OF
MarQuard respect no willow chieftain
today.
Considering which. 1t is au fat that
Willie's exploits should not be forgot
ten. lie is one, of the baseball i'm.
mortais. even II be didn't become a
manager or a gutter.
Big Tim Baskette, Cleveland pitch
er, probably will never >be able TO
play baseball again, on account OF al
accident ne received recently, accord.
ins TO word from Athens, Tenn. Das-
kettles home.
According to the report. Baskette
with number OF friends was ccle-
bratinS Christmas with frecrackers
and fireworks Baskette had Roman
candie which exploded In his hand.
The discharge went backward into
Baskerte's eye. II Is said that the
sieht of the fight eye will be pcrina-
nently destroyed.
Commencing sunday. Jan. s, the
Wayne Hotel viii start serving Table
de Hote dinner from $3.50 TO 1880 at ~
per plate.--Advt
aBnIIv Green. weII-knewn :. the