The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-06-25
X D o p e Y
By "Strikeomt''

Making my initial bow in this column,
and by way of preface, let me say that
am over mindful of the mastery manner in
which, heretofore, the subject matter treat
ed upon here has been handled by the inim-
table Boobies. Moreover, should be tick
led to death to make my get away, should
that bright chronicler of diamond doings
reconsider his decision, and again take up
the task for which he is so well adapted.
Therefore, consider that I'm Just a Sub
and some one has to do it, not only because
the big leagues are beginning to show some
pep, and few of the clubs are upsetting all
previous dope, but for the more important
reason that we are entering into the fray
ourselves, and very soon we hope to have
occasion of reporting and commenting up
on local battles.
Well sir, it does look funny to me. Here
am doubling the half century mark, and
yet, i, seems only yesterday when we were
playing Founders soaking the ball as hard
as you could to hit the runner before he got
to hrst S the way we used to put them
out; and here we are now, playing ball in
side the walls! That's the reason I'm tell
ing you there's no limit to the possibilities
ahead for the game. l wonder what father
Chadwick-not the one made famous by
the Maine tragedy, mind you, but the fla
Their OF baSeball-and good old Nick
Young say, could they revisit the scenes of
their early labors, and see what their hand
iwork has accomplished.
But the possibilities-isten Take it
from one who has trailed the game for a
half hundred years and is over being sur
prised at what may happen. Of course,
the majority of you will be ready to cast
your vote in favor of putting me in Capt.
French's bug brigade because of what am
about to say, but I'll say it just the same.
You have been noticing in the dope
handed out that the Feds figure on a mas
terstroke against organized baseball, as rep
resented by the National and American
leagues, when they succeed, as they say
they are trying to do, in buying up the
minor league franchises; thus getting exclu
sive control of the schools that train the
future stars and cutting off the older leagues
from their source of supply. Well, if they
do, it would not surprise me to see Nc
Graw and Connie Mack rushing their
scouts to sign our future local stars, as they
pass out the front entrance, upon their re-
lease. Why notl I've seen funnier things
happen in baseball
This talk that is going the rounds about
the apathy shown by the fans this season,
as manifested by the slim attendance,
makes me think of old times, when the
fortunes of the game, according to the
dopesters of that period, were going through
similar test. Those of you who can re-
vert that far back will remember the Broth
erhood war. Of course it failed. What
can rabble of disjointed units do against
thorough organizations? 1t is in baseball
just as in business. The fan is a peculiar
critter-just let him suspect that he is being
hippodromed, and he Il drop you like hot
cake. That doesn't mean that he is
through with baseball, not by long shot.
But it means that ne II transfer his loyalty
to the hot contenders in the town lots; semi
professionals, etc.
So Walter Johnson is reported to be firt-
ing with Fed offers, Ell? Grille, the dope
ster of Washington opines that if Walt
leaves the Senators, the old Fox (Grif) lust
might as well pack and git; that the fans of
the capital are not bit sentimental; that
they want Walt to stay no matter if he asks
for an impossible salary. l think it will
be sorry day for the sport when it is re-
duced to one man club. It's fine, no
doubt, to have Ty, Honus, Walt John
son and Smoke Wood, but, on a toss up,
l take every time the evenly balanced
bunch that is willing to side step star per-
forming for team work. Look at the
Giants. Do you wonder that they are
about to cop for the fourth successive timer
Don't blame Walt for wanting to get all
he can. These strong arm pitchers, you
know, have circumscribed period of &C
tivities-they're liable to crack most any
day. Recall Amos Russie for one. His
style was exactly like Walt's-a cannon
ball delivery. How long did he shine? Did
he equal the old Masters (Matty) fourteen
years of efhciencyf Again, pipe Chesboro.
is he now? Echo answers WHERE? No,
no, do not blame Walter for getting all he
can while he is 1T.
o.
But do not agree altogether with Grill
los forecast. A half century of observa-
ton has taught me that fans are loyal to
home clubs, and the games history has in
stances where the fans turned against the
star who did not hesitate to put his club in
the hole in order to draw down few more
hundreds, which he didn't really need. II
remember the instance of King Kelly and
his battery mate Clarkson. They won
their laurels in Boston; ten thousand dol
lars took them to Chi-but, they lost caste
thereby, and some way or other the fans
begun to forget that they had been the ITS
of their days.
Who is the most prominent citizen in Gin
cinnati- Rhine today Now, don't
all answer at once. Say, it's worth twenty
irons to read Phelon's Cincinnati budget of
red land doings these days. Charley Buck
II H. for