New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-31
COLLEGE TEAMS
NURSERIES FOR
LEAGUE PLAYERS
Professional BaseballNOw
an Accepted Calling of
University Athletes.
MORE RECRUITS
EVERY SEASON
Robertson and Darlington, Of
Giants, and Collins, of White
Sox, Among Number.

Professional league baseball teams
are calling on college trained players
more and more to fill their ranks, and
the college men are fast losing that
feeling of reserve which has kept so
many university stars from embark.
ing on career in the big leagues. As
shing examples of the new type Of
professional ball player Eddie Collins,
Of the White Sox; Ray Fisher, of the
Yankees; George Davis, Of the Braves;
Sisler and Koob, of the Browns; Bah
bington and Robertson, of the Giants,
and host of others can be cited.
That the college man is destined to
WELD big influence in the profession
al game Is due TO several important
factors, the greatest of which is that
for the four years preceding his bow
into professional ranks ne gets a train
ing in the national game from coaches
who are selected with as much care
as the college selects a professor Of
Greek or mathematics. The other big
factor is that college baseball is getting
better every year, the competition IS
getting keener, and the men on the
teams play better baseball. AS proof
of this last statement. il Is offered
that the victories which college mines
have won over minor league teams are
convincing evidence that the calibre
of baseball played in the colleges IS
already on par with that of the minor
league teams, and oftentimes is great
deal better, to wit: the victories OF
Brown and Yale among others over
some Of the better minor league teams
last spring, and the really close games
which Yale played with the New York
Giants, champions of the National
League, Just after both teams had re-
turned from their spring training
trips in the South.
There can be no doubt as TO the bet
ter coaching which college mines are
receiving now over that which they
got fifteen or twenty years ago. Now
adays it is the tried and efficient ball
player who is appointed coach Of the
nine, and as his assistants he has men
who do nothing but coach the battery
candidates, and sometimes, even, he
has a special assistant for the inield-
| ers. 1t is small wonder that the aver
age college man who has taken q
"course in baseball" under one OF
! these modern instructors does not
pick up as much knowledge OF the
game in his four years in college as
the minor Lacquer gets in several sea.
sons. If he has inherent ability at all
It is brought out by the coach, and
he gets Just about as much polishing
as he would in a minor league. AS q
matter of fact the college teams are
to-day minor league teams in sense
They have their preliminary training
in the South and they work up "a
their championship games with all the
care and a great deal more zeal per
haps, than the minor league nine works
/ through the pennant race.
The calibre Of baseball which the
college team Of to-day plays is not the
slipshod, care-free play of twenty
years back, and this is fact which IS
borne out by the closeness Of the scores
in games between big and small col
lege teams alike. This trend has been
growing more noticeable from year ia
year, although Yale with its wonderful
nine two years ago was an exception, IT
that the Ellis ran up the score in three
/ games to eighteen runs, and this year
made twenty-five runs in a game WITH
Cornell. This is, indeed, a far cry
from the record tally of eighty-eigh'
/ runs which Lafayette made against Lee
/ high away back in 1872. Remember
| ing that the average number OF runs
made by the Yale nine last year was
/ trihe under seven a game, the fact thai
! Pennsylvania ran up a score Of twenty
! six runs against Harvard in 1894, and
| that scores up in the twenties were
! by no means uncommon in the early
! 90's, seems to indicate that the quality
of college baseball has improved. In
fact, it is not twenty years ago since
Yale made thirty-one runs against the
University of Chicago.
The general improvement in college
baseball is not confined TO any one
branch Of the game, for it is as notice
able in fielding and base running as II
is in pitching. Like all college sports
the game is played seriously, and al
though the average student who de-
sires to play is neglected, the one who
has shown any aptitude FOR the sport
gets as much specialized training as II
he were on nine in organized base
ball. Not only is the coach oftentimes
the equal if not the superior OF the
professional manager, but the equip
ment is in many cases far superior 20
that to which the struggling protes-
sionatnine can hope to aspire.
Yale without doubt has better equip
ment and facilities for the development
Of hrsehall PLAYERS than any other col
l. n the country. but it is safe to
say that within the next ten years all
the.eollegcs of importance will have an
especially assigned cage for practice
similar 10 the one recently erected at
New Haven. As matter Of fact. Dart
mouth anticipated Yale's cage by max
ing provision in its new gymnasium
two years ago for suitable baseball
diamond wherein the Dartmouth candi-
dates play full nine-inning games be
fore their rivals in colleges 400 or 300
miles south Of Hanover are able 10 get
outside for any open air practice.
On the other hand. the vast expeadi-
tureS which are made each year on
baseball in the leading colleges are not
justified. in view of the relatively
small number of students who. under
the present system. are encouraged %
play the game. According to figure
recently gathered for the National Col
legiate Athletic Association by Pro-
lessor II. 6. Wingert, of the University
Of Indiana. American colleges and uni
versities spend annually a sum in the
neighborhood of sl.000,000 for organ
lied intercollegiate athletics.