Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-06
wedding OUT
RECRUITS IS
A TOUGH JOB
BV BILLY EVANS.
bio LEAGUE Umpire.)

and minor league managers. The B5
task of the year cOnfrOntS them, the
wedding out Of the recruit material
the much-tOuted phenoms CT the win
ter Soon the manager must decide
what recruits seem to have a chance
and what fellows are to be sent back
to the minors. 1t is a task few man
ayers relish. If they keep players who
develop into stars they are simply
turning the trick expected of them. II
they happen to let soma youngster go
and said youngster makes good with
some other team, then the manager
draws criticism galore for his failure
to not the possibilities of the recruit
1t is a pretty hard task 10 pass judg,
ment on a player, with only spring
training form to go by. Often pitchers
who look like the one best bet in the
world in prac ice are rank outsiders
when used. in regular team. They
have the natural ability that easily
asserts itself in practice. but other
assets aside from natural ability must
be brought into play in a champion
ship game.
No young pitcher who has broken
into the American League in years
had a more sensational first season
than did Reb. Russell of the Chicago
White Sox. am told that on the
spring training trip Russell was never
given even slight consideration. Per
haps a half dozen other twirlers were
cd hinhlU Co nrlino nv
did Russell look that he was sent with
the second team on the exhibition
tour. Not until it became evident that
number of the highly touted re.
cruits wouldn't go, did Russell get his
real chance to show whether or not
he possessed the ability that entitled
him to a chance in the majors,
At the close of the 1913 season Rus
sell was a finished pitcher. True, a
pitcher can always learn something
new about the game, but Russell wore
a pretty fair big league polish. When
Russell made his debut in the. spring
of 1913 l don't believe | ever saw a
pitcher with so much to learn about
the finer details of big league twirl-
ing. If there ever was a diamond In
the rough Russell was that individual.
Practically every time he threw %
first base he made balk; when they
started bunting it made him dizzy.
Russell Surprises Cobb.
l shall never forget the first time
Cobb reached first base with Russell
doing the pitching. Tyrus took big
lead, and danced up and down the line
as is his custom to worry the pitcher.
Evidently Manager Callahan had
warned Russell about allowing Cobb
to get too big a lead. To all appeal
ance Russell started his delivery, but
instead he snapped the ball to first
and caught Cobb mapping so far that
Tyrus made a dash for second, know
ing it would be foolish to try 10 get
back to first, 1t was raw balk if
there ever was one. AS he threw the
ball to first / left my position back
of the batter's box, to inform Russell
in a quiet way that he had made
balk; that the sooner he cut out his
peculiar move the better, and also in
tended granting Cobb second. for
felt sure he would be caught. In
some way Tyrus manager to avoid
being touched and reached the bag in
safety. Quickly getting to his feet he
yelled:
What do you call that movement,
Billy"
what would you call it," asked.
A balk if / ever saw one" replied
Ty.
Big Pitcher Improved Rapidly.
WELL that is just what is was
answered, but since you could mo, q
no farther than second on balk no.
harm is done" | always like young
pitchers to get every chance possible
TO succeed. Very often it is possible
for an umpire to worry a youngster.
by constantly Directing to the various
ways he is doing things. Often no OBJ
lection would be raised if the umpire
didn't make it point to start the dis
pute. | always get better results, and
make my work easier by pointing out
what | believe are mistakes. and
warning him to guard against a repe-
ritiOn. If the pitcher has any brains
he will remedy the fault at once.
Walking down to the pitchers box.
asked Russell where he had gath
cred together such move to first I'll
was such crude balk that it didn't
seem as if a blind man could have al
lowed him to get away with it. Rus
sell smiled a me and replied:
"That move is my own invention
used it for two years down IN South
eastern Texas, and not an umpire said
4 word to me. I though it would be
lust the thing TO fool the boys upI
here"
"Well. if was you. Russell. I would
never apply for a patent on thai in
,ention | would stick it ina grip ana
cypress it back to some Of the boys
n Texas"
III doesn't look good to you, then ="
lSk"d RUSSELL
1T looks all right" answered. "bHt
'ou are going to have all the ump;res
II he league hOarse from calling
'alkS if YOU persist in using il
This big league Stuff is all INV t