Omaha daily bee., 1914-01-04
WINTER BASE BALL is SLOW
Not Many Players Are Rushing Into
Print with High Prices. ls,..
WERE DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
seme of the Greatest Men that Ever
Grsced Any League Looked
Impossib1e st q first
Glance.
ny FRANK a. MBNKE.

league Is open and that they are sup
posed 10 participate In the games? Her,
we are, more than two months away from
the spring training camp dnys, and not
one Of the Aforementioned geezers- hal
rus ed into print with an announoemeut
that he wants a few million kopecks FOL
next seasons work W t.l
Not one OF thcrn' have been sued fol
breach OF promise. figured In an auto.
mobile accident, eioped with a chorus
girl, or inherited few million dollars
from some entIre;y forgotten relatives
These certainly be parious times for the
scrbbl'ng fellows who are exrected "a
bat over 800 in the news columns 80 ch
winter How can n gent hft 'em out when
nobody's tossing anything In his general
directlon7
! stuIIiugs nnd wagner.
Every time George StallinRs. now man
ager OF the Boston Braves. hears tho
name OF Honus Wagner, the great Pirate
shortstOp. the said George almost weers.
Something like twenty years ago George.
, then manager OF n mnJor league team.
fixed up a deal whereby he was to have
the pick. at tho end OF the season OF
any man on the Paterson, N j.. team.
Stallings decided TO take an lnfielder
named Heidrick. n graceful llmbed ath-
] lete 10"
I don't want to dictate your choice, Z"
said the manager Of the Paterson club.
( but II were in your pace, I'd take
the fellow Wagner He's a diamond IN
tho rough
stallugs took one look at the clumsy.
awkward person named Wagner and eIg.
gied
| Say, that guy ls too clumsy 10 even
mind the bats" said Staillngs. 'IIe
might do In the minors, but he'll never
be any good In the majors. He's too
slow and too clumsy"
| ''All right. Mr.. staIIlngs," said tho
/ Patterson manager Just suit yourself
Only think that some day you'll regret
that you, didn't take this Wagner fellow !"
The Wagner referred to was the peer.
less Honus. r"t 80 = = =
One ON Amos Ruste.
When Amos Rusle regarded bv no.nv
as the greatest pitcher that ever stepped
into the box, became Giant. no was n
country boy, fresh from the farm. This
led his teammates 10 perpetrate many
Jokes at his expense. ,N H~ ct; ~
80 y 'N iP@V Vatne huout when the
seam made a trip TO Boston soon aftef
Rusle Joined. Asj -t fE
The trip was made at night on the f,ona
island Sound boats, Hardly were the
men abroad when several went over "a
ana discoursed solemniy on the dangers
Of the triD. y, 80
Amos" they told him finally, TO pro.
tect yourgeif you must strap two ute
nresefvera on you. no Il now. And donst
take them oft. until we're safely tied IN
at the Fall River pier" N ~
Ruse at once hustled around. found two
big life belts and etrapped them around
himself. He walked into the dining room
with them on, He promenaded the. decka
and walked through the big cabins with
tho corks strapped around his chest. And
ne slept--or tried 10 sleep, with the .life
preservcrs belted around him.
The climax came At Fan River. Fearing
that the boat mlght- even sink at Its pler.
kusle refused to take the. eoriks off when
the boat was tying up. lie attempted 70
walk across the gang plank. with them
on nut was halted by 'oae Of tho ships
officials. -sl, ~. Sa.sE, ",.'s7'
Say, YOU can't get away with thoso
eorks--ppt am back" ordered the hurven
He grabbed Rusis, but big Amos broke
away rushed down the gang plank and
ei.to the pier. 1'hen and only then-did
he unstrap the corkA = ,t~ fss..i E3,
Here's your ddrned old preseryera.,' he
yelled. throwing the, corks back al the
nurser. Il don't want en- anyniorn. 4 I'm
safe on land now h,'s' 7p' /
How IIam HYatt HeIped, +;
This is'a tale OF how Ham Hyatt, the
Pirate pinch-hitter. became hero be-
cause he did a little cussink. 80
Mike Mitchell. Max Carey and owen
Wilson. who constituted the Pirate out.
field at various times last season, never
use profanity. One day a fly bali WIS
driven between Mitchell ana Wilson.
Somehow they got their signals crossed
and the ball landed safe. Carey rushed
over TO back up the play ana foozled tn.
ball as IL bounded toward him.
As result. two runners Crossed the
plate. When the ball finally was thrown
back to the pitchers box the trio NJ
outfielders stood looking at each other.
purpling with rage, 'filIed with disgust
and with their lips torming words that
the non-profRne lips dared not utter.
Just then Hyatt, hustling from the eluh
house passed by.
Hey Ham, oh, Ham" yelled Mitchell
you saw what Just happened. We can't
say what we'd like TO. but we think the
situation tusfities some remarks. Mou,d
you mind. Ham, saying little come.
thing TO relieve our feelings.' '1
Ham did-aHd did Il well. too.
kism and Catfish. i,
One OF the mysteries of base bali IL:
why does Rill Klein, National League
umpire, object to being called "eatfishf''
Bin never has vouehsd an answer, but
the fact Femains that lts Alnost az
much ~ civilians life is worth 20
mention the word catfish" with Bill II
tho neighborhood. while as for a oaA
player, we'll ~
Last summer In New York - meu,ees
Of the visiting team after KLEIN. aGd
made . decision against him. looked An
the general direction OF Klein and iunr-
INJURED souaethlAg about catfish, Klein
whirled around, Poipfed HE fiaser Al ne
player, and reared
You 70 the club house,
This Initiated the teammates OF tho
chsssd player, 20 they set about hsok,
ling Bill In their dnEout they began \
conversation IN which one faction de.
olaIed II was very fond OF catfish and
4 : - .WN