Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-27

not to exceed the limit of his endurance,
LOT nothing win put a ball club on the
pllnk quicker than a crab" who gets
sore and starts internal dlssension.
occasionally a veteran will pull a
oone'-I have pulled several myself
4 m tree TO admit. Then everybody from
the manager down to the bat boy Jumps
on him He probably goes back at them
q little at first, but the storm soon quiets
down and later everybody has a good
laugh about it and they kid the life out
OF the vet who was guilty of the bone"
Ihen there Is the player who always
mas an alibi IF he strikes out, he blames
II on the umpire, or his bat slipped or the
sun was reflected into his eyes from a
window, or the crowd in the bleachers in
terfered with his vision. II he messes up
n grounder, the ball hit pebble or took
a pad hop. The fellow with the alibi
doesn't get away with it very long.
Another fellow who doesn't get SYM
pathy Is the one with that "I don't care"
demeanor We are out there working TO
win ball games because we want to win
them and because the team that wins the
most gets into the worlds series. And
II player makes a serious bull in tight
game and tries to laugh It off, he gets
his good and proper, and the first one to
Jump on him is the manager, as a rule
After my five seasons as a big Lacquer
l can honestly say that l don't mind the
censure of the manager or the men on
the bench; that is it doesn't make me
angry with any of them. When l make
n bad mistake I expect to be jawed for
IT, and I'm kicking myself so hard that
l don't mind what anybody else says TO
me. But the one thing that gets my goat,
and gets 1t right, is walking to the bench
after have erred in some manner
BY way of illustration, suppose there
is man on third and two out. Two
swingers and are likely to hit anything
you shoot up n mile. You walk them
| purposely, figuring on getting the next
| batsman who doesn't amount to much
| with the stick. But the opposing man.
| ager crosses you" and puts in a pinch
! batsman who slams the ball to centre
! field for two bases and drives in three
| runs. Say, after you have retired the
| side, the walk from the pitchers box tC
| the bench is at least so miles. l have
walked 1t several times, and 1 am in a
| position to judge the distance rather we'll
A TENSE MOMENT
You know that every man, woman and
child in the grandstand and bleachers
who was roofing for your club is calling
| you harsh names. Those who favor the
| opposing team are guying you. You are
| conscious of every step you take and the
bench seems to get farther away all the
time.
I don't know what happens on the
| benches of other ball clubs, but l CUES!
they are all about the same. They dC
some "jawing" when the game is on
naturally, but when it is ended the play
ers form one happy family-that Is, thos'
on the real clubs. The fellow who woulC
carry a bench argument with him to th'
clubhouse or the hotel would not last lon!
with club If "crab" of that typ
were permitted to go along day after da!
without being curbed, he soon would pu
the best ball club in the world on tn
blink" completely.
The Phillies pull together splendidly an
that is why they have been in the battl
all year. There are more words of prais
than of censure spoken on our bench
! From the manager down to the bat boy
we can ride" a player when be needs II
but when a club is fighting and doing 1t
best every minute, there is seldom oc
casion for condemnation. .. IA,
To sit on a big league baseball bencI
is an education to a man. 1t teaches hin
the golden rule, and it also teaches hin
to accept criticism or praise withou
losing his head" In later years m
happiest recollections of my big leagu
baseball days will be of the true friend
ships formed on the Phillies' bench.