The Washington times., 1913-08-10
B|RMY LOOKS GOOD
IN CENTER GARDEN
Handles Three Opportunities in
Fine Form and Connects
While at Bat.
By SENATOR"

Joseph Birmingham, boy manager Of
the Cleveland Naplanders. the lad who
jumped in where Harry Davis had failed
and achieved success, is in the game
again. He held down his old place in
the middle garden yesterday in apple
pie order, handling his three fly balls
easily and accurately and banging out
a single in the fourth. Indeed, all in all,
Joe looked peffectly natural in center
field for the Maps.
II the Maps win the flag this year or
next, Joe Birmingham will be the most
popular man In the middle West. Cleve-
land will give him free transportation in
! the city, and Ohio will make him
colonel in the National Guard. The
Cleveland Grays will vote him lifelong
membership in its stately ranks, and
the fans Of the State will very likely
present him with an automobile, just
so that he will be able to ride out among
them when the cares Of the day are
done. Joe is certainly popular in the
Forest City.
Birmingham is a graduate of Cornell
University. At college he played foot
ball and baseball, making excellent rec
ords in both lines of athletics. On quit
ting the halls of learning at Ithaca he
broke lUIO pTOI6SSlOudl UdS6Ddlls dl lTSl
going to a minor league for experience.
He had not been playing in the bushes
long when a keen-eyed scout found him
and sent him to Cleveland. This was
eight or nine years ago. Joe has been
there ever since.
Had Dangerous Arm.
When Birmingham first broke into the
American League his throwing arm was
considered one of the most deadly in
the business. He could get under any
kind of a fly ball and throw from any
position on line to the plate or any of
the bases. Indeed. few base runners
dared to take chances with Birming-
hams wing in those olden, golden days
He wasn't a murderous slugger. but he
could chop out his bingle at the right
time with the others, and Cleveland
fans forgot all about Jimmy McAleer,
the olc-time favorite in the middle gar
den.
The years went on and Birmingham
played the best baseball he knew. He
may never have thought of ever lead
ing a major league team. Who knows?
He Just stayed in there, playing the
best ball he knew and always gaining
In diamond lore. His throwing arm
was weakening and his batting eye
dimming when Harry Davis was given
control of the Cleveland team In the
spring of 1872 George Stovall had been
traded to ST. Louis to make room for
Davis, but Birmingham was still with
the team
working properly. He didn't rise to the
duties of the position. and before the
season had more than got under way
everybody in the majors knew that
Davis was doomed. Cleveland fans.
peeved at the poor showing OF their
scribes, watching the way the cat
jumped, knew that Davis was soon to
lose his official head. But Davis beat
everybody to II by resigning, leaving
the Maps in charge of nobody in par
ticular.
Is Worthy of Trial.
Charlie Somers, looking the situation
in the face. saw at once that the only
man worthy of a trial was Joe Birm-
ingham. He was considered one of the
brainiest players in the game He had
sufficient experience and he seemed to |
be possessed of the right qualities for
So Birmingham was ap- |
pointed manager of the Maps.
Everybody knows of the wonderful |
DTdCe UlduS Dy lHc -NdpS oI hhc N'OSO |
of the season of 1913 The players, as
II realizing that at last they had the
real leader they had needed for many
weeks, buckled down to their work and
began to win games. Birmy finished |
the season in a blaze of glory.
The Maps have upset all predictions
this year. Under Birmy's management
the team has clung to second place, de-
spite the best efforts of the White Sox
and Griffmen to displace them. But for
the injury to Bill Steen they might now
be leading, or at least fighting for the /
honors with the Mackmen. And all the
honor goes to Joe Birmingham, who
got into the game again yesterday. He !
Is dissatisf with Ryan and Liebold
and means to show them how to play
the position. And, believe me, he can,
too, for he has forgotten more than
either will ever know about the great
national pastime.