The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-11
PUBLIC bUNKED ON
BASEBALL STORIES
Do You Know Who Really
Writes the Dope You
Read?
(By William Peet.)

What has become OF the proposed
legislation against the baseball scribe?
1t will be remembered hat shortly
after the worlds series last fall a
cry was raised anent the practice of
the star ball players allowing news
papers to use their names over critical
articles of the game.
The dear old public fell for this
stuff and swallowed hook. bait and
sinker. An article under the sigma
ture Of Christy Mathewson led three
fourths of the fans to believe that the
great pitcher himself wrote it.
Last fall, during the big series. the
writer recalls a dozen or more base-
ball stars who allowed certain news-
papers to use their names. The play
ers were paid anywhere from $3.50 to
$1,000, and not one of them wrote a
single word.
Stories Well Written.
AS a rule the player-writers we're
we'll taken car of. n the stories
were really interesting, for the reason
that experienced newspaper men were
assigned these Jobs. but the public be-
lieved all along hat ball players
themselves actually took pen in hand
and wrote the pieces for the papers.
AZ pA0yStS SAoS vi lax tA4hNSSA 30 a
decidedly minor affair. No one can
blame a baseball star for pulling
down a little soft money. With him
it was simply a question as to how.
much a newspaper would be willing
to pay. g why should he worry?
Cnch. Says Larry Doyle.
1t is a cinch that the majority of
the player experts last October ran
no risk of losing their batting eye or
dislocating their brains while they
were composing their criticisms.
Captain Larry Doyle Of the New
York Giants was interviewed shortly
after the big series, and asked how
ne liked the job of reporting the
games.
1T was the hardest work I ever
tackled" chuckled Larry. IT did not
write a line, but it was awful hard on
the nerves to listen to what some re-
porter wrote for me and then sign my
name to stuff that looked to me like
inklings from the pen of King Solo
mon. But. you know. I got $500 in
coin for the work. and that's pretty
good for a reporter who is no report
er at ALL"
Walter Johnson's sWritings."
Walter johnson. the greater twirler
of the Washington club, was also en-
gagged to do the series. He was hired
by the Boston Herald at a ridiculously
low figure. compared OF the money
paid several other player writer's.
the Herald. wrote Johnson's stuff,
and great stuff 1t was. too. 1t was so
good that the Boston Herald syndicat-
ed the matter to nearly fifty out-of.
town papers.
The McGraw Explosion.
In New York this "experting' has
become a mania. Last October MEM
bers Of the Giants and Red Sox raked
In the coin as baseball experts. None
thought to wonder how a player had
sufficient time to write all credited to
him for the morning papers. When
Manager McGraw handed out an al
legged story criticising Chief Meyers
the explosion came. McGraw told
OF his name. and that an expert writ
cr did the real work.
Wheeler Real Mathcwson.
Chief Meyers. the New York catch
er. was credited with turning out
some really clever pieces. but his daily
stories were written by Jim McBeth of
the New York American. Christy
Mathewson's accounts were pounded
out by Jack Wheeler. a feature writer
connected at that time with the New
York Herald. Wheeler also wrote the
criticism found under the name of
jeff Tesreau, the Giants big pitcher.
Bill Farnsworth. connected with
the F1.arst newspapers. interviewed
Rube Marquard each day. and II the
Rube told him all the dope printed,
1t was no wonder the southpaw got
himself in bad with his teammates
for Farnsworth spared no one in his
scathing criticism.
Walter Trumbull of the New York
Evening Sun handled the feature sto.
ries the FAM supposed Manager Nc.
Graw turned out.
Peddling tho Bunk in Boston,
Tho Boston papers slipped this bunk
over on the lea old public just al
nicely MS did the Gotham publica.
tions. Cy Young. the veteran twirler
was engaged by the Boston Post, and
Sam Carrick wrote his stories. Capt
Heine Wagner of the Red SOx was az.
signed to Paul Shannon. the baseball
editor Of this same paper. While
Catcher Bill Carrigan furnished tn.
Boston American readers with inter.
csting daily stories pounded nut by A
II. C. Mitchell.
iris Speaker and Joe Wood wer.
4 alHn In the 1ineli1ht with o~nne< cplt