The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-02
Jesse Burkett Was the
 Original Human Crab''

Johnny Evers is sometimes referred to4as the Human Crab" but the real original t'crab'' of the game was Jesse Burkett, of late years the manager and part owner of the Worcester club of the New England League, and long a prominent major league player. Burkett ranks among the veterans of the paStime, for he will be forty-five years old next Saturday.
 The appel1ation of ''crab," so often bestowed upon Burkett, was no more deserxed in his case than it is by the In his major league playing days Burkett was a bit different, and he was. sometimes considered surly and quaTrelsome, but he was popular among his fellow players, and enjoy ed the favor of all the fans who came in contact with him. It is said that the-> nickname of "crab" was first applied to Burkett because he wore a pin with a crab design in his tie. but after a while the public began to impute to him the alleged surly dis position of the crustacean.
 Burkett was a good bah player at the age of forty, and in his prime he was one of the star sluggerS of the game. He started his baseball career as a pitcher, but failed to get away with it. Then he became am outfield- er and gradually developed that ca pacity as a batsman that made his name famous throughout the baseball world. While with New York, Cleve- land and St. Louis, Burkett swatted the pill over the 300 mark for II years, and in three seasons - 1895. 1896 and 1899-he batted over 400. Burkett is the only player in major league history since the organization of the National League in 1878 to bat overe 400 three years,
 Burketts ability with the bat was the fruit of long and tire1ess prac- tice. He was below the/average as a batter when he began playing in the majors. Having failed as twirler, and realizing that only good stick work would keep him in the game. he set about the task of mastering the art of batting. Few other players the game has had have been his equal in the science of place hitting His bunting was marvellous, and, all though he was not very fast, he near 2y always beat out his Punts- He could make long drives and home rnand, but his great speciality was placing them who're the >fieIders were not When he began his great swat ting career the foul strike rule. hadn't yet been adopted, and when he want ed to get a pitchers goat he could stand up to the plate and foul 'em off until the slab artist was soaring high sin the blue empyrean. Jess certain .ly wasn't one of those who favored the foul strike \rule, for it put one of his faVorite stunts on the blink.
 As manager of the Worcester club in the New England League, Burkett annexed several flags, and for years enjoyed great popularity. During the 1aSt season the Worcester fans appa- rent1y soured on the veteran, and re- mained away from the park, forcing the transfer of a number of games, while at one time the players threat ened to strike. It was said that the Worcester fans didn't like Burkett's g aggressive tactics/ but, as he always gave the city a first division club, 1t W ou1d seem that they might have for given him any excess of zeal. As a general proposition, nothing succeeds like success. Burkett is said to have prospered isince becoming a minor leag que magnate and manager, and to have amassed a considerable fortune
 Burkett's greatest fame as a player was gained while he was with the Cleveland and St. Louis National League clubs. He was with CleVetano o from 1893 to 1898, inclusive, and iEa 1899 he joined the St. Louis team, remaining in the Mound City until the close of the 1901 season.