Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-08-26
LARRY LAJOIE
MAY QUIT GAME
FOR GOODNOW

Il
with the Maps
Also. the breach which exists be.
tween the great Frenchman and Man
ager Joe Birmingham may be event.
ually bridged over. with the result
that Larry win continue in his pres.
ent role as utility infielder and pinch
hitter, and possibly break back into
the game again as regular second base.
man.
But If Larry decides to quit and
holds to that decision, the year of 1913
viii mark the passing OF the greatest
natural batsman and second baseman
that ever lived.
1t win mark the passing of Napol-
con Lajoie after he has been one of
the most scintillating figures of the
national game for over seventeen
years.
Other players may show greater
speed than Larry today. but gazing
back over a span of over seventeen
years, and noting the wonderful field
ing and hitting of the powerful Gaul,
can any one imagine that the spec
Ifacular little Eddie Collins or the lit
tie Trojan Johnny Evers will ever
establish such a wonderful record?
Baseball players, like men in other
walks Of life, cannot go on forever.
Unfortunately, the baseball life OF
men of the diamond is necessarily
comparatively brief one.
The time must come when the great
est Of the great of base ball must
give way to younger and faster men.
Larry Playing Eighteenth Season.
Probably that time hasn't yet arriv-
ed for Lajoie, but the fact that it is
approaching rapidly is sufficient to
send a quiyer of pain through the
hearts Of the ardent patrons of the
nations finest sport.
Larry has been leading figure in
the game since 1896 1t was in 1896
that he was discovered" on the Fall
river club and hurried or to carve a
name In the hall OF base ball fame
as a member of the Philadelphia club
of the National League.
Larry pounded his way to the atten-
ton OF major league men by hitting
rival slabmen for an average of .42g
in 1896. Oddly. the Fair River team
of that year was the only team to
which Larry ever belonged that won
a pennant while Larry was a mem
Der. But Larry did not remain with
Fall River until the pennant was won.
Joining Philadelphia in 1896, he
started out as a first baseman. He was
the sensational recruit OF the year.
His hitting average with the Phillies
was 1871.
Later he switched to second base.
There his work was even more spec
tacular. Before he had entred his
scond season as member OF the Phil
hes, he was one of the idols OF the
base ball world. He has held that
position ever since
Jumped to American League.
During the days of the historic
baseball war between. the American
League and the National League. Lar
ry jumped to the Athletics. Legal
complications brought. his release to-
Cleveland in 1902, together with FL
mer Flick and '.Bill'' Bernhard.
His history since that momentous
action is very well known to every
fan in the country.
With the passing of bill" Armour
from the management of the CIeye-
land club Larry advanced to the role
of manager. His most successful sea-
son in that capacity was 1908, when
the Maps finished second to Detroit
by one-half game in the most mad
dening pennant race in the annals of
the American League.
During his entire ball career Lar
rvs batting average has slipped be-
low the magic 300 mark only twice.
That was during that nerve-racking
1908 campaign, and also the 1907
when Larry was beset with
managerial woes of sufficient weight
to weaken and affect the most pow
erful batting eyes.
With the team travelling poorly in
1909 he gave up the reins to Jim
Mcclure. Since then he had been a
private in the ranks, but always a
private respected alike by friend and
foe and admired for his baseball abili-
ty by all fandom
Broken Hands Start Trouble.
Starting the season of 1913, Larry
gave every indication of polishing off |
his eighteenth year and making it |
stand on par with the best of his |
past. His work during the early |
games of the season and until the
bones in his two hands were broken |
by Pitcher Klepfer of New York, at |
League Park. Sunday, May II, was |
0ne the brightest features OF num-
Der of bright features by the Cleve- /
and club.
/. Friction between Larry and Birm- /
ngham undoubtedly is one of the rea-
sons for the action taken at Chicago
yesterday. Just what the cause of |
hat friction is we do not know, but
We know this. that it affects two
,trongwilled parties. Birmingham is
one Of that type of men who have the
courage to carry their convictions to
he limit. Exactly the same applies
% Larry.
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