The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-23
HOW PLAYERS LIVE
OFF BALL FIELD
Some Erroneous Conceptions o. How
Teams Put In spars Time
While Not In
Uniform.
FEW STAY AT HOTELS
Many Of Indian Team Board and
Room With Private Families
I % Not 40 About In
Bunch.

players and ball players. there are
ways and ways in which they spend
their time away from the actual scene
|of their every day labors.
The. game Is over. The bugs wend
their path through the weather beaten
gates at the north side park and COM
ment on the goodness or the badness
lot the afternoons pasfime. It was
punk, CLASSY" SLOW" rotten" any
OF those adjectives.
But the uniformed crews seldom get
ia thought from the personal side. They
are merely ball players, good, bad or
Indifferent.
What they do away from the dia-
mond is . different thing. Playing ball
is simply hard work for professional
players, although there are hundreds
OF stars. near stars and only ordinary
players who would rather follow that
calling than any other. For baseball
is profession, even though one does
not have to know how to write his
own name to raw pay envelope ev-
cry two weeks.
When fan becomes interested IN
a player to the extent Of calling him
ny his first name, he begins to wonder
where the apple OF his eye on the dfa.
mond spends spare timc outside OF
working hours.
Contrary to the idea OF some. the
team isn't always together while OF
the ball lot The conception has got
ten around that home players 60
about In droves, waiting for the morn
ing hour OF practice, when there IL
any, the afternoon game and night.
sitting in the lobby Of some hotel.
Nothing could be more erroneous.
When q Keokuk baseball player "
home, he II home True. two or three
OF them pal around together. but the
whole twelve, manager and all. are
seldom together until they are actual
" inside the ball park, warming up fof
the afternoon game.
Lives Where He pleases.
There is another false idea, too,
that ball players while working series
at home, stay at hotels. Some Of
them do, but not All OF them. As
rule, living IN hotel 10 pretty ex.
-pensive proposition. and the tastes y
some players run high. private bath.
mahogany suite, and al OF that.
A good many players seek out
quiet, comfortable rooming house.
slip the landlady three or four round
boys a week for room ana save
dough that would otherwise be spent
in hotels.
The iron bed, shoehouse calendar on
the wall and commode with its WASH
howl and pitcher look far better TO-
some players than the customary brass
chandelier. phone ON the wall and
birdseye maple suite Of the hosiery.
The breakfast table set In some
private home or sanitary boarding
hnnsa. whore the ball player has
chance to get IN" looks better to
some OF the diamond cavorters than
the Kidney stew and affecttcnate APP
nile ME IN downtown restaurant.
They Favor pool.
Undoubtedly the favorfte sport on
tba diamond for these players. and
tha narrative is written more from
Keokuk standpoint than any other, 10
nool. Billiards, too, has its followers
among the trfbesmen. But pool, "kei-
". "I5-ball,r rotation or straight pool
are the favorites.
Most any morning in the week win
find LeBea-i, Swick, Brown and others
OF the club shooting the balls about
the tables. Some Of the ball players
become experts at the game, too.
Fishing, reading. swimming and
other pastimes, besides the click OF the
worries. have their innings with the
players.
Pay at Home; Not on Road.
While at home It's case Of every
thing out for the ball player. He
must pay for his room, meals and
laundry. When he IL on the road, the
club pays for his room at the hote',
meals, transportation, which IL big
item, and incidentals that only q sec.
rotary knows how to figure on.
While ball team sweats blood in Q
game, works itself to frAzzle, and IL
tired generally when the curtain OF
night falls. there is always the bracinS
thought that the trip to the next town
will be made in q sleeper. meals IN the
diner, porters all around and real style
about the Jump"
The Usual Routine.
On the road, the Indians or other
visiting club men sit In the upholster
ed divans OF hotel, II the hotel az
fords such things. most all morning
Visiting players usually arise about .
O'Clock from bed, have breakfast and
then for the bay window in the hotel.
ly4 o1r nj