The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-04-10
Recruit Smuggling First Stacker
Was Apparently Always
Natural Hitter
FATHER Is IRONWORkER
IN PHILADELPHIA SHOP
Hopes to Get Back to Athletics
City for One Game Against
Them
From a STAFF Correspondent.

CINCINNATI, o., April ~ BOD
by" Burns, the recruit first baseman
whom the Tigers picked up from OF
tumwa in the Central association last
season and farmed out at Sioux City
for while, was never taught a thing
about batting before joining the
Tigers.
Never once has anybody given him
a single suggestion as 10 how ne
should stand In the box, how he
should step into the ball. how he
should hold his bat or how he should
swing at the ball. Ever since he was
q little boy playing with IL and IL
year-old teams he seems TO have had
the knack of hitting by instinct.
Burns looks pretty when he is at
the plate. His batting form is about
as nearly perfect as could be asked
for. He stands at medium distance
from the plate. squafely In front OF
1t with his feet fairly close together
When the ball comes he steps d.
rectly ahead of him and swings hard
but apparently without any waste eff
fort
Burns Is q long hitter. He is in
clined to lift the ball somewhat but
this didn't do any harm in the small
parks Of the Central association and
he got IA home runs while with Bur
lington and Ottumwa In that league.
In SO games at Sioux City in the
Western league where the parks are
bigger, Burns managed to pole ont IL
home runs and 20 extra bases.
Burns has no license to consider
himself ball player except that he
gets out there and plays the game.
He comes from q family that has
never had anybody In baseball. Burns
father is m iron worker at PhiladeL
phia, q workingman who never played
. ball game IN his life.
The only hereditary strain that
would tend 10 make Burns bali
player 10 the fact that he Is Scotch
Irish, which II certainly . fine mix.
ture OF nati0nalities for baseball a.
the recosds Of tho came demonstrate.
Burns has been playing baseball
ever since he was 3 boy Of IL. Then
he sneaked on with gang OF his fei-
lows from Philadelphia to Jersey City
one time 70 play. When he didn't get
back home for his supper at night.
his parents had the police scouting
for him.
He hrst tried to break into the pro-
fessional game with the Lancaster
club. This club attempted to try out
IS men one spring. Burns was kept
ON the roster for q day and half.
He was with the Camden City club
when he was discovered by Harry
Wolverton In 1912. Wolverton found
Burns hitting terriHcally and prom.
ised him tryout with the Yankees
In the spring Of 1913. A. 1t hap
pened. however, Wolverton was re-
moved from the managership Of the
club before he had q chance to take
Burns south. He recommended him
to the Quincy club In the Three-Eye
league. Quincy released Burns with.
out q trial and he went down 70 Bur.
going from there to Ottumwa
where the Tigers found him.
Burns was sold by Burlington to
Ottumwa for $3.50, which 10 q big
price In that league. He and Bur-
leigh Grimes, a big right-handed spit
ball pitcher. were sold to Detroit for
$4,000. Grimes was farmed to Chat.
tanooga at the same time that Burns
was sent to Sioux City. Grimes failed
to develop at Chattanooga and this
spring he jumped the club and went
over to the Federals.
Thus it appears that Burns cost the
Tigers the $4,000 that was paid for
him and his former teammate.
Burns has one ambition just now
which appears to be modest enough.
Burns wants to return to Philadelphia
with the Tigers and get into at least
one game with the club ct his home
city. His friends at Philadelphia be-
lieve that he will make good with the
club and he wants to satisfy them by
appearing at Shibe park In q Detroit
Uniform. r. L. Y.