Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-18
BILLY SUNDAY GAVE
UP $500 A MONTH
JOB TO SERVE GOD
Investigation of Newspaper
Reports Shows How the
Evangelist Left Baseball
Job for Religion.

Pittsburgh handed the ph liies .
lennon" when they sold them BILLY
Sunday. At least that was the consensus
OF opinion among the two Nationa
League baseball teams just after the
Phlllies had traded two players in the
middle OF August to get BILLY for thell
team, only TO learn that at the close
of the season he intended to give w
baseball to enter into religious work
The Pittsburgh team was as far down
in the list of "down-and-ou as a
baseball team could possibly be and still
be called team. The team owed the
landlord rent and II was rumored that
the players were longing for bacon and
beans besides plain baseball glory.
BILLY" Sunday was their one redeeming
asset They put Billy UP for sale.
TEAMS HOPES VANISH.
The Phillies had never won the Ma
tional League championship, but in 1890
they thought they had chance and
the city was baseball-mad. The team
had won 1G straight games. The crowds
were coming fast. The team had money.
But something happened, the team
slowed UP, and all It's hopes vanished.
Brooklyn went ahead of the Phillies In
the race, and Boston pushed them back
into third place. Something had to be
done, so the Phillles bought BILLY"
From Pittsburgh came the report that
the Phillies have offered to exchange
Burke and Day for Sunday" the PUBLIC
LEDGER said on August ., 1890. at Is to
be hoped that the deal will go through,
as Sunday would greatly strengthen the
home team"
The fans took courage. Two weeks later
the deal went through. The fans were
happy and Sunday was said to be happy.
"He has always been anxious to play in
Philadelphia and is glad to get away from
the Pittsburgh team" the papers said
"he will probably move his family here in
the fall and make this city his home in
the future. Sunday will play his first
game with the Phillies today. Hamilton
will now have to hustle to maintain his
reputation as the Phillies best base
runner"
The fans gave Sunday a warm reception,
but the next day a gloom went through
the crowd. A Western paper had said
that Billy Sunday would not play ball
the next year because he had accepted the
assistant secretaryship of the Chicago
Young Mems Christian Association.
LOCAL RooTERs INDIGNANT.
The fans charged that the Pittsburgh
management had played a trick on the
philadelphia management and the Pitts
burgh dispatches added to the Indignation
of the local rooters.
In the first place, ex-Presdent Nimick,
of the Pittsburgh Club, said, 'it Is a fact
that Billy Sunday is going to leave the
diamond at the close of the season to be-
come the secretary of the Chicago Y. NJ.
c.. A. In the next place, the people OF
Philadelphia understood this and they are
fielder Burke and pay bonus of $1,000 for
Sundays release. The Pittsburgh team
cannot better itself this season, and next
season Sunday will be out of 1t anyhow.
The Philadelphia people have large-sized
championship bees In their bonnets, and
they thought 1t worth while to pay what
they did to have Sunday finish out the
championship season with tlIem.'
Secretary Rogers, of the Phaillies, men
cheered the fans by saying, in an inter-
view in the PUBLIC LEDGER of August q,
1890, that he did not think that there was
any chance that Sunday would give up
baseball because he had contract with
the Phillies for the rest of the season with
the option for the Phillies to renew 1t for
the three successive seasons. There was
some trouble about closing the Sunday
deal because Burke and Day held out for
more salary before they would sign with
Pittsburgh, and even with the danger that
Sunday would give up the game the
Phllies offered to increase the bonus they
had offered for his release to $500 in case
Day and Burke would not sign.
II was presumed that IL Sunday was to
be secretary of the Chicago Y. M. c. A.
his duties would be so arranged as not
to conflict with his work on the Phlla-
a proposed decrease in salaries for the
players during the following season was
brought up II was agreed that Sunday
was to be kept at his high salary,
Later 1t was said that Sunday was
going to quit the game and that In the
several months that had passed between
the time that the rumor began and the
time that Sunday signed with the Phil
lies Sunday might have changed his mind.
RELEASED AT LAST,
When Sunday had finally made up his
mind that he was going to quit, he ap-
pealed TO the Phillies for his release 1t
is said that BILLY" prayed hard while
the deal was pending that the Phillies
would release him from his contract. The
Phillies finally granted his request.
AS soon as he was released by the Phil
lies. II is said. the manager OF the Gin
cinnati team offered him $500 a month
to join his team. But Billy" was
through with the game. and 1t was a re-
ligious job at 3.33 that appealed to him.
And herewith begins his marvellous career