The Washington herald., 1916-12-07
long TOM HUGHES
FULL-FLEDGED COP
Former National Hurler Now One of
Salt Lake City's Finest.

Long Tom Hughes, remembered by
all local baseball fans as a demon pinch
pitcher and jinx to the Cleveland Indians,
is now a full-hsdged policeman In Salt
Lake City, Utah, and claims to have Cult
baseball forever.
Local baseball fans have not forgotten
Tom Hughes. His name invariably crops
out where fans assemble and tanning
bees are in progress.
Long Tom was a great character in
the national game and he is known in
every city Of the two big league circuits.
Hughes last big league engagement was
with the Nationals in 1913.
Hughes was always jinx to the Cleve-
land team. When the Nationals in 1908
Started for the final Western whirl
Hughes was not with them. Long Tom
had. been left behind for violation Of
training rules.
Cantillon, the Washington manager, tel
egraphed for Hughes to join the team in
Cleveland and Long Tom was with diff
ficulty rounded up by his friends and
tossed on board a train Cleveland bound.
Hughes did not know where he was 60
ing until the conductor woke him up and
dropped him of at Cleveland. That aft
ernoon Long Tom beat the Indians.
Oldtinle Cleveland fans tell a story OF
kidnapping Hughes prior to an important
buying him drinks galore
Gamblers perpetrated the plot, and af-
ter being told that Tom Hughes had been
out with the boys all night they figured
he would be in no condition to pitch, so
made the Cleveland club heavy odds-on
fayorite over the Nationals.
Hughes was the first National to enter
the ball park that afternoon. He warmed
up with all the pep of a schoolboy and
not only pitched the game but won 1t,
letting the Cleveland club down with two
measly hits.
Last season Hughes pitched for one of
the Pacific Coast clubs. His retirement
came after the season closed and he's
no" tull-hedged cop in Salt Lake City.
Charles H. Weeghman. president OF the
chicago Club of the National League is
prepared to urge National .I4aeue
owners to sanction ladies' day at the
annual meeting of the league in New
York next Monday.
One day a week at which women are
admitted free to the ball parks is an
essential, especially In cities where the
practice is followed by the American
League, in the opinion of Mr. weegh-
man.
Il do not intend to request the league
to set aside any particular day." he
said. That should be decided by the
owners. Attendance of the ladies should
be appreciated, however, and 1 believe
the plan is an important one"
Can any one imagine giving odds OF
% to ! against a team composed os
Thorpe. Calac, Dunn, of Dickinson;
Ghee, Soucy. Weyman. of W. and J.;
Buck, of Wisconsin; Russell of Penn;
Far
actually happened, but the parties lay
ng the odds lost about SIS, 900 when Jim
Thorpe's Canton professionals defeated
Massillon for the first time in years.
There was nothing to the game but Can
ton, and, after the game was over the
MassillOn hackers wondered where they
cot the idea that their team had a chance
with the wonderful aggregation of stars
collected by Thorpe Incidentally, the
presence OF Calac in the Canton lineup
explains his failure to appear against
Penn with West Virginia Wesleyan.
Calac decided that 1t was time to turn
professional when he heard of the
salaries being paid by Canton. and
Thorpe did not have to persuade him
much. West Virginia Wesleyan had built
its offense around this wonderful Indian
fun back, and his desertion at the critical
point of the season has made him de-
cidedly unpopular-but not in Canton, as
hesplayed even better than Thorpe.
The annual meeting of the American
Association in Indianapolis next Friday
will be followed with unusual interest by
fandom at large. Critics believe the gen.
eral attitude Of organized baseball toward
certain vexing problems that have crop
ped out of late may be reflected in GER
tain legislation by this powerful Class
AA circuit
Hints dropped by Ban johnson and
others presage an attempt of the owners
TO economize in salary expenses through
the 1917 campaign. On the best of au-
thority it has been learned that the As
sOciation club owners intend to adopt
low salary limit and a low club roster
limit, too. This step was taken by the
International League a year ago, with
good result. Otherwise the Barrow cir
cult might not have been able to weather
the storm.
The American Association had no salary
limit last season. AS a consequence