The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-04-25

equally
Bet your cash they'll win their
Stake your green that husky slug
Z VIII cor tfe game With healthy
Vote your pennies on the stcalers,
Who u viii. viii beat The catcher's
Hook YOUR clock to hack the bunt-
Who'll srab hits On speedy toes.
Bank some sinners on the umpire,
Whom you think will give a
shade;
n Give chance to those pinch hitters
hho'l Win the. game that's yet
unplayed
\ Hans waser on the weather
pain;
Cloudy Bays a likely entry.
For the real score may he rain.
When You eliminate Gus Hill. the
greatest OF all stage club sWingers,
Jake schaefer. the greatest Of all
Billiard Club swinsers ana the pc
liccmen OF all cities. who also are
the greatest of all club swingers,
you leave Just three men who are
really, truly great CLUB sWtnsers
They are N Arlie Latham, third
basemans OF the St Louis Browns Of
back III the sos, Wee Willie
Keller of the. old Baltimores and
Brooklyns, and Dode Criss of Texas,
former pinch hitting star Of the
4 latter day St Louis Browns.
None Of these men actually swung
their bludgeons around their heads
oraup in the air, nor yet down their
threats a la sword swallower, but
they certainly could do things With
that old baseball bat.
Latham was the first and origin
al bunting boy. He was marvel
at laying the ball down at the late
and beating it out at first. He at
one time used a bat hattened on one
ide, a privilege accorded any player
who cared to adopt such a stick.
The infielders all knew Arlie was
going to dump it down, but his fast
start away from the plate and
speedy dash to first alwass8 got him
there ahead Of the ball. Once on
it was l-the-wav-around with
Latham. for he'd put on his long
sliding gauntlet Ito save his ARM
and slide his way, head first. clear
around the circuit.
1Esr. It-hi1pR NOT . him aynr
hit the ball far out OF the infield.
His specially was lifting it over
the heads or the inside men. loop
ing Texas leaguers into the short
outer gardens. He had speed also
this helping him get down to sta
ton No. One in express time.
Eriss, the wonder OF the country
when with the Browns a few sea
sons ago.. was a murderous clouters
He had no speed and 30 such bat
ting science as Latham and Keller,
but ne sure could burn it, through
the pitcher or short stop for a sting
ing hit that sent somebody in to tie
It up or win q game.
ONE OF
DODE'S TRICKS.
But quite the most sensational Of
Dode's tricks was to send the ball
straight up into the air when bat
ting f,lngoesa at. the plate in prsc-5
tice. He could hoist the sphere di-
rectlys up over his head to an incred-
ible height, and the ball would come
down just where he stood.
Visiting players often stopped in
their warnn-llps to watch Criss
chase IL into the clouds and then
scfare the snow OFF when the ball
came back to earth.
The baseball business is full Of
comedians. all Of whom do not 80
upon the stage. Some Of the tos-
sers who SO into theatricals are
only funny when they try to be.
funny. for then they. fail and their
efforts are ludicrous-
Steve Evans Of the Brooklyn
Tederals is one Of the; real comed-.
fans OF the green diamond. His
work is not huffoon stuff, but senu-8
inc wit or the brain and tongue
Clever men like Evans relieve the
a deadly monotony Of rail travelling
when the teams are making long
jumps
Herman Shafer Of the Detroitss or
1910 and Nick Altrock Of the old
Chicago White Sox OF 500 are fun
ny men Of different stripe but:
they win more laughs than Evans
because they do their monkey bust
ness In public.
than their burlesque play, and as
drawing cards they are the best in
the game. Still. III seems their work
can 4 be done away with. for they
have been passed on by Washing
ton The team WITH Whirf, H hnv NIT