Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-29
Johnny Plays When He Is Ill.

I go out there sometimes when am
too sick to run and work my head off
to help build concrete grandstands for
the magnates Yet they praise another
player who doesn't care rap for the
sport, but plays because that's the only
sure way to get a check on the LIST
and 18th. I give them the best that
is in me, because 1 love the game and
want to win and make 1t interesting;
they call me rowdy, and worse names
than that.
LAS I said. I personally don't mind
the criticism. But you must remem-
Der that 1 have wife and a SON. They
pick up newspaper and read that a
magnate has called me ruffian, a
buriy, and about everything that one
man could safely call another and have
1t put in print. They don't believe it,
of course. for they know me, but they
! are afraid others do believe it, and
dislike to go to the games and be
pointed out as the wife and son of the
Human Crab Did you ever look at 1t
that way?'
Johnny was sincere several weeks
ago when he said he would quit the
game and go to California for a much
needed rest He made that quite plain.
Il am sick man." he said. II weigh
only about 140 pounds. never have
fully recovered from the attack of
pneumonia which almost cost me nv
IRE last winter. Then I broke my leg
ana got back into the harness little
sooner than should have done Right
now can't play through a game on a
hot day. 1t would put me in the hos
pltal. l wrote Mrs. Evers and told her
mat We could go to the coast and for
get base ball; that we had enough
money to enjoy life and get away from
the criticism and the worry
Why didn't / quite There are two
reasons. The first was my duty to my
employer, Mr.. Gaffney, one of the whit
est men in the world. He seemed to
think the club would play better and
have better chance to win the PEN
nant if stuck with it. He has treated
me SO royalty that I could not desert
him when he wanted me. The other
reason was that I refused to quit under
fire. One magnate said he would drive
me out of base ball, or words to that
effect, and | made up by mind that I
would not permit him to think he had
done it.
"Therefore. If Johnny. Evers can stand
on his two legs and wear his uniform,
he'll be out there the remainder of this
season. What I will do next year re-
mains to be decided in the future But
rest assured they won't drive me out
of the game, branded as a rowdy and a
dsturber. They've got to learn that
am a gentleman and have right to be
treated such-for the sake of my fam
lily, at least"
learned to know Johnny Evers as the
Human Crab" there is not much chance
that he will ever rid himself of that nick
name. 1t is one of the kind that sticks
But if the public knew Evers as a man
and as a ball player who would fight to
uphold the integrity Of the game which
has earned him fortune they surely
would not call him rowdy. For he is
not rowdy.
Just tell them that it makes Johnny
Evers laugh when he is called a Human
Crab but that when they say he has done
anything to bring disrepute on base ball
1t makes him mad, and some day he may
give some of them an opportunity to
prove it.
"One magrate was quoted as saying
that if it We're not for base ball Johnny
Evers would be back in a Troy factory
ironing shirts and collars. Probably if /
had been forced out of the game several
years ago, when l had been up against
a lot of hard luck and lost a lot of money
would have been compelled to go back
to hard but honest labor. However, my
luck has changed in the last two years,
since / began to work for the whitest
magnate in the world, James Gaffney.
Now, can quit base ball today. and Mrs
Evers and Johnny, jr, won't need to
worry: they'll be well provided for.
Furthermore, l can say that l get every
cent of my money by going on the ball
field and giving my employer the best
that is in me- It's clean money"
Just then Johnny, jr., came after dad
and Johnny, ST., ended the interview