Evening journal., 1914-12-03
: JIMMY" SHECKARD
CHAMPION Jumper
In Old War Days He Out
shines All the Ball
Players
OVER THE TRACES AT
LEAST EIGHT TIMES

During the last baseball season the
gentle art OF jumping was much
practced by baseball stars, but they
were mere pikers compared with
some of the jumpers of that period
when the National and American
leagues we're waging bitter and re-
lentless war on each other. Il was
almost a daily occurrence for some
player to jump from one circuit 10
the other. and turn around. and jump
right back again.
OF all the jumpers Of that palmy
period Of the players. the champion
was Jimmy Sheckard. He set up a
new worlds record for jumping
which will probably never be sur
passed Jimmy's hckle ways are re-
called by the fact that this is the
thirty-hfth anniversary of his birth.
James Tilden Sheckard was born in
Pennsylvania, in 1879. The present
crop of fans remember Jimmy prin-
cipally as the able left fielder of Muir
ply and Chances pennant-grabbing
Cubs. but Jimmy was playing big
league ball. and helping TO cop flags
long before that. When he was only
Is he played semi-professional ball
at Marietta. Ohio, and Lancaster, Pa,
and at 16 years he became a real
league player with Portsmouth, Va
In 1897 he was outfielder for the
Brookton club of the New England
league, and was the sensation of the
season, batting .370,- Such a perfor-
nance naturally attracted wide atten-
tion, and in 1898 he was signed by
the Brooklyn Nationals. The follow
ing year he was with the Baltimore
Orioles, but in 1900 he returned to
Brooklyn. He helped Brooklyn win
the pennant that year. In 1901 he
was the premier swatter of the old
major circuit. smashing the pill TO
the tune of 1853.
II was at this period--a dark and
gloomy one for the magnates-that
Jimmy pulled off his great jumping
stunt John McGraw was then man.
aging the American league club In
Baltimore. but IL was a hopeless sec
ond division aggregation, and thu
fans. accustomed TO the sensational
playing of the old orioles. refused L
enthuse over the new leagues outnt
McGraw needed a good outfielder
and. as Sheckard was about the bes
in those days. he went after him
Star players we're then able TO name
practically their own terms, but al
though Sheckard was not unduly
modest the Baltimoreans came
across. But Brooklyn also wanted
sheckard. so every time Baltimore
offered a boost in salary Brooklyn
came right back with another raise.
On eight separate and distinct occa-
sions Sheckard jumped from one
league to the other II was great
fun-for him-and he played the
clubs against each other TO the limit
In the end. however, Brooklyn won
out. and when the war was over JIM
my was wearing a Brooklyn uniform
He remained with the Brooklynf
until the close Of the 1905 season
when he went over to the Cubs. And
that very year the Cubs achieved Tho
pennant. and repeated in 1907, 1905
and 1910 Jimmy remained with Chi
cago until 1912. and the following
year rounded out his National leagui
career with St Louis and Cincinnati
AS an outfelder. Sheckard has fey
superiors. AS a batter. he passed tn
300 mark three years during his hi
league career. and was always a de
pendable man with the stick But
is as a jumper that he is entitled {
enduring fame