Evening journal., 1915-02-13
As FAST As EVER.
HANS WAGNER SAYS
Veteran Is Not Afraid of
Any Present Day
Youngsters
TELLS STORY
OF HIS CAREER

where he has one of the best chicken
farms in Pennsylvania, Hans Wagner
says he is not afraid of the youngsters
and thinks he will be good and fast
this year as formerly. Wagner writes.
"The other day I received letter
from a baseball fan. He asked: Do
you think you will stick to the game
this coming season; do you think you
still have the old stuff and the eye
for hitting them@ / sat down and
wrote a long letter to that fan, but
summed up, all ] said was what l said
to a friend of mine a few days after
the close of my first major league sea-
son with Louisville, in 1897. That
friend had asked me if l thought
would make good. He wanted to know
how l felt about the season coming.
This is what I told that friend:
bill, saw so many young fellows
coming and going last year, bright,
fast young fellows. that seemed to
have everything; boys that worked
hard and thought they were making
good. come up and then go back, that
it is an absolute fact that did not un-
pack my grip until the last three
weeks of the season. kept it all
ready so that if the manager gave me
the gate l could get out of town and
home to Carnegie before any one could
stop me.
"And there you are. One can't tell
when the end is coming. But | can
say this for Honus Wagner: Though I
am past Al years of age, l feel as coy
and as kittenish as / did 20 years ago
Some folks point at those horrible per-
centage figures / compiled with the bat
/ last season and shake their heads. Old
Hans is through they say. But don't
bet anything but small change on
that.
Il began playing baseball just as
soon as | was able to stand on my feet
l guess; anyway, my brother, Charlie,
| who is the oldest of the family, used
20 say that just as soon as / got big
enough TO walk without any one hold
! ing me l had an inclination to play
ball. and he used to help the inclina-
ton along by tossing an orange at me-
have been playing ball ever since
then. / never did anything else 70
speak of, excepting that when / was a
kid and had gone a little ways In
! school the family exchequer needed
my assistance. and nothing was more
natural than that / should go to work
in one of the coal mines in Carnegie
AT that time the town was called
Mansfield. / was born just three blocks
down the street from where I now
live. Things have changed quite a BIT
since then around here, but / can still
see the old dirt path us kids used to
run on at night. Then it was called a
towpath; now it is Railroad avenue.
Il started this story wrong should
have started by saying that / was borr
in Mansfield Cnow Carnegie) on Feb
"a. 1874. I got my first chance to play
in a regular ball game. or rather will
regular ball team, when / was II
years old In 1894 / played with tn,
; st. Luke's Club of Mansfield, and made
quite a name for myself My brother
AL, who was older than I, was playinl
with a club at Dennison, Ohio, and
went there in the latter part of 1894
{ AL told the manager of the club tina
. he had a brother who could play ball
and that's how I got the job. In 1S9
played with Steubenville part of tn
season. That year George MOrelani
was managing the club. He offere
me S35 a month and 7 wrote to hir
that wanted $40. He wrote back tina
! wasn't worth more than S35 and tina
r that's all he would give me. / needle
. the money, so | took the job. | forge
d -, -,,, tl,t Ia fbocn dave I urac a mitch
. er. / soon got the pitching idea ou
of my head and became a shortstol
"That same season / was with Wal
6 rem. Pa, and later went to Adrian
I Mich, and became the manager of tn
team. I was then q years old. | wa
o with Adrian the next season and I'll
following year joined the Louisvill
team. which was then in the Nation;
: League. The first game l worked
was against Boston. Charlie (KiC
Il Nichols pitched for Boston. In the'
davs he was rated as some pitcher.
went TO bat three times before | cou
connect with Charles delivery, but
finally cracked one on the seam an
made a hit.
every one knows how / went
| Pittsburgh, so I won't repeat here.
has been a long time since starte
and | have always worked with Il
one theory in mind: Do your best a
the time and never slacken up. Pc
haps the old speed is not in my lei
now as it used to be. One can't expe
TO be a sprinter all his life. Yet | CT
get down to first base inside Of WEI
after hit the ball. and if | hit d
| ball often enough chances are l W
get down to first real often this comiI
| season.
III "As to the rest of my life's histo
| might add that / am not Marie
Two of my brothers and l batch {
gether here in Carnegie. AL and 1t
and form this trio. Al works for &
| Pittsburgh club and Lou works he
in Carnegie. Bill and Charles are
| business out in Ohio. have a sist,
Mrs Gallagher now, but just Carrie
us when we were kids. Carrie is ne
| TO the youngest in the family. Bill
the baby. My parents have been de
| for a number of years That's all abo
| Hans Wagner"
Il