The Washington times., 1913-01-05
BILLY FOWLER BASEBALL SECRETARY,
HAS MANY TROUBLES. FACING HIM AS
HE PILOTS CLIMBERS OVER CIRCUIT
Press Agent Bound to Come
for Big League
Teams.

! ming team is the best ever. Maybe
1 thatsywhy II Was 20 pleasant last sea.
son. and I'm pulling, for the same thins
Piles Them In.
transforming trips, though. cause the
secretaries plenty of trouble. When the
Climbers hit Syracuse last summer II
was fair week, and the hotels were
packed. The writer saw himself and
eight players showed into one room.
Seven cots were spread on the floor for
the weary players to use before the ex-
/ hibition game with the Cincinnati Reds.
Eddie Ainsmith was sick and had to
stay in his cot until the train left that
night for Cleveland. Yes, Fowler had
his troubles that day.
Then, after Fowler had succeeded in
getting the fast train from Chicago to
New York to stop at Thirty-third street
to let the Climbers catch their special
car, he bumped Into Toronto In race
from one hotel to another until he had
his party booked in four different hos
telries.
"Ha. ha." laughs Fowler. .'that was
some arrival, wasn't it? Getting into
town at 10 o'clock at night and then
Sleep.
Another duty Fowler has lis to collect
plenty of small bills just before leav-
ing town. He has TO dole out the
supper money and the breakfast money.
The players have all their expenses laid
while on the road, and Fowler superin-
tends the delivery Of the bills. The fun
niest cartoon ever drawn couldn't do
this scene Justice.
Riley Well Liked.
Eddie Riley. the secretary who travels
with the Boston Red Sox. is a close
second to Billy Fowler for popularity
around the circuit. He is a quiet lad.
always on the job and always ready
with funny story Hughey McBreen.
who used to travel with the Sox, was a
grand good fellow, but he has been
succeeded by another prince.
Tom Davis. the herculean secretary Of
the Yankees. Is well liked by players
and newspaper men, though the writer,
recalls one scribe who was quartered
here. because Hal Chase didn't like him.
81 hate to do it, Davis explained to
the kicking scribe, but Chase simply
won't let you have a decent white mans
room. It might be explained that the
New York clubs pay all travelling ex-
penses of scribes on the road with the
team.
Bill Blackwood. who press egents for
the Maps. Is another good fellow. In'l
duu1tion TO keeping up MS secretaryS
work. Blackwood manages to keep the
scribes Informed ahead Of time with
and valuable data of the
Maps. sending full statistics concern
ing all new players with the team.
Coming Some Time.
The time is coming when every big
league club will carry, in addition to
the business secretary, a man who
will look out wholly Tor the press agent
possibilities of the team Baseball re-
ceives more publicity than any branch
Of amusement enterprise in the world.
II Is mostly free advertisement, too
The public demands complete informa-
ton about its heroes.
Has Walter johnson a sore throat
out in Detroit? The fans here want to
know all about It. They want to know
what Is being done for it. They waEt
to know IL Mike Martin Is caring for
II or has regular physician been
called in. This kind of information
can. and is. provided by the war cor
But there is much information that
papers outside the big league circuit
might use, and would gladly use.
could they get It. Many Of these pa
pers are situated in cities and towns
close to the big league cities. Their
readers help to swell big league cof-
fers. 1t is for them that the baseball
press agent will work one Of these
days. But perhaps then 1t will be
harder to get into the papers the
chatty stuff that now fairly swamps
them.