The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-31
STALL WAS SAD
 BASEBALL PROSPECT

Champaign, ILL, March 31-Jake StahPs return to Illinois field next week as leader of the worlds cham pion Boston Red Sox is in striking contrast to his debut on the same diamond April 13, 1901. Playing an outheId position for the Illinois team the :'big Dutchman," he was call ed, gave such miserable exhibition the fans.
 Deacon Briggs, the official scorer, in the old score book which Coach Huff unearthed this week, allots two errors to Jake. Deacon was ever charitable, however, and the old-time fans insinuate that the future lead CT of the worlds best was running around in circles to keep from be- ing bounced on the head with the ball. Although Stah1 made up in some measure for his raggedness in the field by his hitting, his misplays practically lost the game with Mich igan, then disputing with the Illi- nois college baseball honors of the west.
 Comiskey's newborn White Sox, who were training on Illinois field, were among the disconsolate rooters that day. Dick Padden, Isbeu and the rest were all crazy over the bat ting of the big fellow They admitted sadly however, that he did not look as. if he ever would be an outf1elder.
 One week later the Illinois team again took the field Stah1 was still there-but not in the outheld. In stead he was behind the bat. Indiana was the opponent. Stah1 caught Carl Lungren perfectly. His batting was marvellous, two home runs, double and two singles out of seven times up. Illinois piled up 35 runs in all. Stahl had come into his own.
 One of the feats was preserved to posterity and the glory Of the orange and blue here on May g, 1903, when Illinois played Michigan again. With the bases full, Stahl smashed out liner that was not retrieved until long after he had completed the circuit. Never before Or since was there such a cIout. An amateur photographer in the excitement of the occasion, jam med his button and unwittingly se cured a wonderful snapshot of the home run. Jake had just swung, the base runners are starting off and Jerry Utley, the Michigan pitcher, is looking hopelessly at the ball in the air Every cigar store, billiard hall and the like in Champaign and Ur- bana has an enlarged picture.
 Stahl was easily the best college catcher in the west. He contributed a daring born of his football exper- fence that would make him take des- perate chances for fouls. In a tight game with the university of Chicago he dived into the bleachers for foul, caught the ball but struck his head, cutting an ugly gash, Senseless; he clung to the ball and soon hurled back to his protector and mask. Feate such as these endeared the big boy to the Illinois rooters.
 A fortunate visit by Henry Killilea of Boston to Evanston, where Illinois was playing Northwestern, gave Jake to the American league It was one of the last games of the year It was called about the sixth inning because the Purple outfelders refus- ed to perform any longer. The score at this time, according to the best evi dence was 35 to o. Jake led the as- sauIt Even if the game were not test, the picture that the strapping colIegian made at the bat so inn pressed the scout that he had Jake's name on a contract before night.