El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-09-19

pitching staff and supplanted Dougherty
with SeIbach Otherwise the team re-
manned unchanged
Three Big League Careers End
Three s-rsa- major league careers are TO
be brought 10 a close this year, they say
The mighty arm OF Wallace. the lnirniJaoie
Wagner and the spiendld L--Iole are 70 DC
fsr IS the iulDortanr organizations 20. 1t is
said the three have played their last games
F5oi'bv Wallace oldest in point Of league
service. came into the Ns-LloIal leas le IN
1888. Jim NcAIecr had picked him off
semi-pro team in q Eennsy lNani2 FlllaEe-
He was a slight, calloW youth, pG- ne made
wallace Was Dependable.
He could always be depended upon TO
beat BROOKLYN. and had 'Huslz' La Chance.
a strong hitter, IN such eTtrernIties that
the latter would strike out every time he
faced Bobby. In 1895, Wallace was mere
boy. not really strong enough TO pitch. Wal
lace pitched through 1885, 1856 and 1887.
In 1885 Jim McGarr. a great fielder and
fighter. went wrong in the arm Tebeau
tried Jimmie Delehanty, one Of the famous
'Dels." at third and Jim zen down Nc
Carr filled out the season Of 1897. and in
1898 Wallace began 10 play third base he
had a rare reputation inside Of a month.
Yet he was five years in the National
league before he played game outside
Of the pitchers box
Wallace was burning up the league as
third baseman when Jack OCOnnOr picked
him for q great shortstOp- He Is a great
third baseman." said O-COnnor. but he will
make a greater shortstOp." That was four
years before Wallace became the greatest
shortstOp that ever played ball
He played third base through 1888 in
Cleveland. and came TO St Louis in 1888
About June Of that year Ed Mexican, the
famous old shortstop Of the Spiders went
wrong, too fat and slow and failed 10 hit.
Tebeau got Cross to play third and moved
Wallace TO short
No shortstop ever eQuaIed Wallace in two
Z
of him and going to his right and ma king
a long throw He had even the great Wag-
Wagner Followed Wallace.
Wagner came into the league about July,
1891 He was three years behind Wallace.
but probably an older man The great Ger
in. and that is now three or four years old
er than Wallace, about IS or q.
An extraordinary chap, with cantlever
shoulders, immense joints. tremendous
hands, prodig0us feet, he looks like a Ger
man country boy, fresh from the pillow when
he Joined Louisville.
a truly great bail player was Wagner.
He hit like Thor. and was a grand base
runner Even in the past few years. when
his limbs have been giving away under his
immense trunk when every step has been
accompanied by intense pain. he has al
ways run out his grounders. flies and hits
TO the last step, and turned first, real
ball player. Not so fast or snowy as Cobb.
lacked Cobb's brilliant. animating spirit.
Cobb's Grecian beauty Of line, Cobb's sal
luS caring OLlerNlse ne vas as gOQQ a
WaEner's arm did not endure like that
OF Wallace There never was another arm
like Walace's-always good and as good
today as ever.
LajOie a Terrific Hitter.
Like Wagner. Larry Eaioie came 10 the
league off a hack in 1897 and Joined the
Philadelphia club He was as good a bail
player the first day as he ever was after
ward He could hit terrific line drives.
No ball player, except Fred Dunlap. vas
so easy and graceful in his movements as
Lajoie- He was the personification Of sup
pleness and ease. He walked like a big cat,
as Speaker walks today
Was Phenomenal Fielder.
In one respect Lajoie had all other play
ers beaten His wonderful eve enabled HIM
to combine the motion Of the pitcher, the
speed Of the ball and the swing Of the bat
ter in one composite picture. and he was
off to where the ball would hit long be-
fore il was hit.
No one ever hit so easily so carelessiy.
yet so sweetly. as Laioie- When he was
batting next to that king Of stylists. Ed
Delehanty, ball players were wont to hold
that Del was the better hitter. because
they said. he hit at fewer bad balls than
the Frenchman- Delehanty took a fuller
and harder swing than Lajoie and hit them
farther but not so truly on a line.
Lajoie would hit nine Of 10 balls on a
dead line, sometimes to Outfielders playing
against the fence.