Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1913-06-20
FANS
Motto: May the best team win; But ours is the best
By Hugh S. Fullerton
Copyright, 1913 BY W. G. Chapman)

song of the Sox rooters when they
scent victory.
One Of the most dramatic displays
of loyalty ever saw was in 1907,
when the team, beaten and displaced
from the championship, came home to
close the season. They had gone
away in high hopes, and failed. It
was Sunday. and as the defeated
team marched down the field $1,000
men and women stood silent and un-
covered for a moment, then broke
into applause that swept the stands.
It is small wonder that team back
ed always by such loyalty won even
during years when 1t seemed much
weaker than it's opponents.
have heard opposing players de-
clare they would rather face anything
in the game than the grinding root
ing" Of the Chicago south side fans.
The only duplicate know is the
rasping, nerve-racking, long Yale yell.
Not all players are frank enough to
admit that the roofing has any eject.
Indeed it is a common pose to pre-
tend that they do not even hear. But
they do. Even among themselves
they pretend they do not care; but
once in while they tell their inner
feelings. They know that half the
men who quit the major leagues are
driven out by the voice Of the fan.
have seen men break and go all to
pieces, rave and swear and abuse
everyone after suffering cruel grill
ing by crowd.
Walter Wilmot, one of Anson's IA
nous old Chicago players, came to a
game on the old grounds fifteen years
after retiring. He looked across to-
ward the left field and said:
There's some Of them out there
now I'd like to choke"
Yet the roar of the crowd does not
break them as quickly as does some
sharp thrust of sarcasm or biting wit
from an individual. Perhaps that
shaft is only the last straw, but when
a player is in nervous collapse he
usually RACES at some individual who
said something to him. Josh Reilly
one of the merriest, happiest players
ever knew, blew up" one day and
had to be restrained from assaultine
three or four thousand men in the
, bleachers.
! s. Did you. hear what he .said?" de
Fmanied reilly ii the other players
| tried to restrain him. $50 - $50 4
"What did he say" inquired some
one.
"He said: Reilly. you're a disgrace
to the Irish" and then he ragged
again.
One of the quickest things I ever
heard was a remark from a Wash
ington fan which upset Frank Isbell
the veteran. completely. Isbelfs head
is as bald as concrete pavement
and usually he kept his cap plastered
tightly on his head to shield himself
from the gibes of crowds. This time
he tried to steal second and made q
desperate, diving slide around and un
der the baseman only to be called
out He was so enraged that he ran
at the umpire, grasped his arm, ar
gued and raved and finally in sheer
anger, jerked OF his cap, hurled II
onto the ground and jumped upon It
His bald head glistened in the sun
light and the crowd roared. Then
above the roar came voice:
Put on that cap. They pinched
Mary Garden here for less than that.
Possibly more trying than any con
certed roofing is the incessant nag
ging to which players on the Polo
grounds, New York, are subjected
The one great bit of rejoicing among