The Detroit times., 1914-12-17
|DAUNTLESS STILL, EYERS
AGAIN KNOCKS OUT FATE
eHuman Crab" They Call Him,
But Fans All Rejoice At
His Recovery
FORTUNE PLAYS MANY
FRANKS WITH JOHNNY
----------
Boston Star Repeatedly Comes
Back" When Apparently
Down For Count

Johnny Evers has won another
round in lifetime battle against the
toughest sort OF luck. Stricken With
pneumonia, that mslady that mows
down the best oil men, he has fought
his way through the crisis and is now
on the road to recovery, with pros
poets OF being up and doing again
within q fortnight. And the whole
world Of sport Is glad. for II holds
mighty warm spot in its heart for the
Boston second.sacker, Grabbed scrap
per though no be.
We call him the Human Crab. :
And IL Is cold truth, too, that We
think OF Johnny most as grabbed
scrappy ball player-grand player
but an awful crouch.
But we'd all be grouchy II We had
faced the tough luck that Johnny mas.
1t started In 1909, after the famous
National league finish in 1908. He had
invested all his earnings III shoe
store in Chicago-all but enough to
buy an automobile.
Going out for one OF his first drives
he saw Jimmy Shecksrd standing on
corner. ~. ...-
.Come on and take q ride" ne urg-
ed his teammate.
aNot mel" said Sheckard. Il want
to live q while" ......
.Tu take a chance" said George
Mcdonald, q Chicago baseball writer
and one of Johnny's best friends.
There was an accident--a wreck
and Mcdonald was killed. ..
Johnny Eyers was heartbroken.
Fhey thought for weeks that he would
freak under the strain. Many claim
Johnny has never been the same
ssince--except his nerve.
The following year Johnny's busi
ness failed. He brooded over this,
and again his friends predicted he
would suffer breakdown.
But In the spring he came back
and was playing his best game ~heh'
Just after the Cubs had cinched the
1910 pennant, he broke his leg sliding
home. He was out or the worlds
aeries and for the most part OF the
1911 season, besides.
Hes through this time" said one
OF his staunchest friends. .... ..
Thin and drawn, more quiet on the
field, more grabbed on 1t, he came
back again. He was the same little
fighter OF old, and the same wonder
full mechanic.
Then his old chief. Frank. Chance,
was ousted, and Johnny was given the
most thankless Job In baseball-man-
aging club for Charley Murphy.
Those Cubs were rough bunch.
Chance lad handled them because
they feared his hard-hitting right
hand. Johnny did his best, but that
wasn't good enough for Murphy. He
was discharged.
He was sold to Boston, tail-end
club. His shoulders more stopped
than ever, his hair tinged with gray,
! he fought all the harder. In a few
months he represented the difference
between the Braves OF the cellar and
the Braves on the top floor.
But Old Hard Luck still logged his
trail Right In the midst of royal
fight for a pennant his little daughter
died. II seemed this blow was the
final one. Johnny went away and
stayed for few weeks. Then he
came back-came back as he always
had, with his head up.
Then came this attack OF pneu-
monia. He is coming back from that.
too--the gamest. scrappiest little fell
low that ever played out a string OF
tough luck to the almighty end, and
never quit.