The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-02-08
BENNY kAUFF IS
STELLAR FIGURE
If McGraw Signs Former Federal
League Star, He viii Have
Biggest Attraction in
National.
AND KAUFF ADMITS IT
Benny Has Been Highly Advertised
and Must Go Some to Keep
Up With His Press
Notices.

y AAoShAS
Benny Kauff to 1916 contract. AL
ready Benny is the talk of the fans in
oil Of the cities in the circuit and by
the time the season is under way he
will be the best advertised youngster
in the baseball game.
These advance notices do not seem
to conflict in the least with Benny's
ideas of himself. He admits himself
that he Is the biggest man in the
game, and for fear there are some that
do not believe him the first time, he re-
peats the assertion. Ty Cobb, Joe
Jackson, Eddie Collins, Larry Doyle,
and all other good batters in the ma
tional game have been warned by the
youngster to watch sharp, for he is
coming out next year to clean up and
to knock out the records these men
have made and to establish one that
will be SO far in advance of anything
that has ever before been hung up they
will all quit trying. Kauff is believed
to be suffering from exaggerated ego
in its worst form. he does not deny
this as long as 1t is printed in the
Lapers, for he does love to see his
name in print.
Those who know him best, though,
say that he is not suffering from any
cerebral expansion. They say he knows
perfectly well all the time what he is
doing. They also say that he will
make good his claims except one or
two Of them perhaps. He was able to
make good in the Federal league in a
manner that led them to believe that
he can come through in the National
league.
To Face Better Pitching.
OF course, he Is going to face better
than he has ever faced before
in his life. but even so, he should be
able to connect with the ball often
enough to get his average high in the
lists OF great hitters. -"Kauff is won
derful ball player without doubt"
says Joe Tinker. '.He is little rel-
low, but he certainly does get lot of
force behind his swings, and when he
connects with the ball he sends it to
all corners Of the lot.
Il do not understand where he gets
all of his power, but he has it and l
think that he will be just as much of
was In the Federal league. He is GER
ta1nly wonder"
Ty Cobb was Of the same sort Of dis
position when he broke into the lime
light. Cobb could not get too much
publicity. He always made good,
though and as long as a player can
make good there is no reason why he
should not be we'll advertised. It is
very well known axiom in baseball
that ball player who comes into
league too strongly touted is under
heavy handicap. If he, has been ad
vertised to do lot Of high class work
and fails to come through, the fans
roast him and refuse to turn out for
him.
One OF the reasons given for the
failure Of Marty O'Tooie, the former
Pirate pitcher, was that he was too
highly advertised. Occasionally how
ever, a player comes along that can
i've UP to all advance notices and
even do little better. Ty Cobb was
one OF those, and it may be that Ben
ny Kauff is another.
Making His Job Hard One.
BY making so many threats, though,
he is making it little harder for him
self than it would otherwise be, for the
pitchers will all be on the lookout for
him when he lands in town, and they
will hand him all the different assort-
ments they have with all of the frtlls
that they can put on them.
a player the style of Kauff appeals
to John McGraw very much. He wants
a man that can blow his own horn and
live up to all of the predictions he
makes for himself There is no deny
ing that Benny can do other things be-
sides hitting the ball. He can get
around the bases with tremendous
speed, and he also can cover a lot Of
territory in the outf!eld. All In all, he
is a player any manager would be glad
to get hold of, for he is always trying
to win for his team.
1t is about time fer the National
league to put on some of the big draw
ing cards Of the game as the Ameri-
can league has Ty Cobb, iris Speaker,
Eddie Collins and Joe Jackson as won
derful sluggers, while the old league
has no one to balance UP the popu-
Iarity contest.