The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-25
The D. M, Read Company,
Bert Whaling, Backstop of
 the Braves, Is 25 Today

Bert Whaling, the Brave backstop, who can run harder and cover less ground than any other player in the major leagues, will be twenty-five years old today. Like Frank Chance, Hal Chase, Chief Meyers, Fred Snod- grass Cactus Cravath and many other stars of the diamond. Whaling is a product of southern California The mammoth naskman of the yet-awLiIe worlds champions is a perambulating advertisement for the well known climate of the vicinage of his birth, for he stands six feet in his stockings, weighs 185 pounds, and is about as fine and dandy an athlete, in appear ance, as could be found anywhere.
 Whaling claims Los Angeles as his native city, and he is full of facts, figures and statistics about the metropolis (Sure, bo, Los Angeles is the metropolis of California. Bert says so, and any San Francisco fan who wants to deny it would do well teIephone.) Whaling is one of the few players who have butted into the big show without preliminary profes- siOnal experience in the minor leagues. He played independent ball for some years prior to 1911, when Cleveland offered him 8 berth in the American league. As a catcher he was pretty good, even then, but his bat ting was weak and his base-running very, very slow, and the Maps decid- ed they could get along without him. In 1912 he was sent back to the Pa cific coast, and played with the Seat tie club in the Northwestern league.
 The big backstop made such a good showing with Seattle that the Braves bought him in the fall of 1912, and he has been playing with the Boston ians ever since. Like most humans, Whaling has had his share of good and i'll fortune. It was a, mighty lucky circumstance that he was bought by Boston, since it enabled him to shine as a mundane champion and share in the receipts of the worlds series. Tn the way of disappointments. he has twice been edged out of a chance to get into the lime1ight as the premier backstop of the Braves. In 1913 he had to play second fiddle to Rariden. When the Feds Iured Rariden away, it looked as if Whaling would be the main dependence of the Braves be- hind the bat. Then along came Hank Gowdy, who had played principally at first base, and had been fired by McGraw as never-was, and kicked back into the bushes by Boston along came this Gowdy person, we say, and said as how he was a catcher and proceeded to prove it. Which again re1egated Bert Whaling to play ing second fiddle.
 AS a catcher Whaling has few su- periors. Last year he led the Ma tional league in fielding his position, with the exception of Kafora of Pittsburgh. who took part in only a few games. In 1913 he batted PAP, and last year his average was .20s . At times Whaling yields the bat like demon, but he is not very depend able. Bert needs a, two-bagger to get to first, and a home-run to travel to second. His comrades have a stand ing offer to bet that there isn't a l two-1egged man of any athletic pre- tensions in the universe who can't beat Whaling in -sprinting around the bases. Of course, this is a. bit of an exaggeration, but the fact remains that as @ sprinter Whaling is a dandy catcher.