New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-20
LARRY LAJOIE
REAL VETERAN
OF THE DIAMOND
Twenty-one Years in Game
but Never on Pennant-
Winning Team. ..
Nv FRANK O'NElLL.


A cynic. paraphrasing Shakespeare
once said: There is a divinity when
shapes our ends rough, hew them how
we will" Larry Lajoie. once king OF
the second basemen. rounding out his
twenty-frst season in the major
leagues with the shattered Athletics,
probably never read that paraphrase,
but he expressed the sentiment con-
tanned therein when the Mackmen were
in this city recently and defeated the
Yankees. 1--WE been up here for long,
long time" said Larry, but | never
have played with a pernant winner.
The breaks were always against me-"
The breaks, indeed, were against the
veteran Frenchman, who has so hero
ically resisted the hand Of Time. Al
ways great player himself-one of
the greatest, in fact, who ever trod the
the diamond, he never has played on a
team that won a championship. Other
men, mere striplings, have lesped into
series, but he labored in the ranks.
Larry's dream Of empire almost was
realized in 1908. when ne led the old
Maps right down TO the last day Of the
season, fighting a grim battle with the
Detroit Tigers, but the Maps lost the
deciding game, and the Tigers met the
Cubs for the worlds championship.
Played in 1871 Games.
That the Maps finished so we'll in
that race was due largely to the fact
that Lajoie had the good fortune to
escape injury throughout the season.
He took chances on the diamond, play
ing hard to win at all times, but for
tune smiled for a change, and he was
able 70 remain in his position through
out the l57 games the team played.
His marvellous fielding skill and his
hard, timely hitting won many game.
In 1905 the pennant was conceded TO
the Maps before the season opened, and
they dashed away TO an early lead, only
TO be cut down by injuries, and slump
away 10 fifth place while the Athletics
dashed ahead and met the Giants. The
year following the Maps went out again,
but more men were hurt, and then
the White SoX won nineteen consecu-
tive games and proceeded to capture the
pennant So il went with Larry. A
member of great teams, he never won.
Now he has come TO the end OF his
career. The trail is narrowing and
beset with many obstacles. The speed
has left his once fleet limbs, his eye
has lost the keenness of vision, and
grounders are sliding past him now
where once he cut them down with
ruthless skill. The throws he beat by
full step TO the bag are nipping him
at the bag now. Larry is ready to step
down 10 make way for some Of the
striplings who play beside him. He is
ready 10 yield his place 70 boys who
were in swaddhng clothes when the
name Of the great Frenchman rang
from the lips Of their fathers twenty
years ago.
The history of baseball never will be
complete until q full chapter has been
written of the deeds of Lajoie. He al
ways will be spoken of as perhaps the
most graceful of all felders, fielder
whose skill often deceived the fans az
he made the most difficult plays LOOK
easy No drive was ever too hot for
Larry to cut it down, and he had the
ability 10 move in any direction TO
make a play. Working TO right or left,
coming in on the slow Founders, or
moving back to Judge the hops Of
wicked bounder, he was perfection 1t
self.
Above 400 Mark.
In twenty years Of major league base
ball Lajoie boasts the grand batting
average of .343. Once he rose we'll
above the 400 mark. That was in 1901,
in the first year of the American
the Athletics, and hit .422. On numer-
Gus occasions he crowded the 400
mark pretty closely In 1897 he piled
up a mark of 1868, in 1899 he had a
mark of .379, and in 1900, his last year
with the National League, playing with
the old Phillies, he tapped the ball for
.346.
In 1902. when he was traded to the
Cleveland team for strategical reasons,
Larry found the pitching to his liking
and bumped it at 1863 clip. Then
followed averages of 1855 and 1881 IN
1908 and 1904 In 1906 it was 1855, and
1910, 1911 and 1912. it was 1874, 365 and
1868. In 1913 the Frenchman piled up
his last 800 mark, hitting 1886.
Lajoie came TO the major leagues
from the Fall River City League in
1896 and joined the Phllies. He re-
NAMED there until the war between
the National and American leagues
about double that which he received
from the Phillies, Lajoie lost no time
in jumping along with the various
other stars Of the National League.
A. J. Reach, president of the Phillies.
did not welcome the detection of his
star, and carried the matter into the
courts. He got an injunction restrain
ing Lajoie from playing baseball in
the State of Pennsylvania with any
other team than the Philadelphia Ma
tional League Club. 1t was to defeat
this injunction and make the best use
of Lajoie for the league that Nap was
traded TO the Indians in 1902. Later,
of course, the injunction was dissolved,
and Lajoie played with the Maps in
Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
II was not until 1914 that Larry left
the Cleveland team, returning to the
Athletics during the winter He be-
gan the season of 1915 with the Mack
men, taking the place of Eddie Collins
There he still holds forth, a Mercury
shorn of his wings, Samson shorn
of his locks, waiting for the final call
of Time.