The sun., 1916-11-26
KAUFP DISCOVERS
ERROR OF His WAYS
Benny VIII Do Less Talking
and Moro lifting Next
Season.
LEARNS COSTLY LESSON
~ sHoRTsToP.

AA/<AAsA>o OOC4Ll
~ sHoRTsToP.
Benny Michael Kaun, the Giants
clever little outleldcr. says he has seen
the light. BashfuI Benny has con.
fesssd. Kauff admits that he did wax a
little strong to the press boys late lar
winter about his ability to poke the base.
bail. ana that he told them without q
blush shat he could bunt $50 In the
National League" But Benny says n.
didn't exactly mean to be q brasrar<;
he honestly believed all those thing,
would come to pass exactly as he pre-.
dicted It..
Benny always Wal . iikabls boy. even
when his chin music sounded a litt,.
raw. He always was 20 earnest In nj.
boasts. There never was a possibility o,
failure. sfrortstop has known bail plav.
ers who have Dragged Just for bras.
sings sake. but not Benny. Ills con.
versation was the outlet for his thoughts
He believed every word he uttered. Blu,
all the same Benny Is not buying his
hats as big this winter as he did last.
After leading III Federal League for
two seasons with heavy maJorities.
Benny had a high estimate of n. Kaun's
ability as a slugser. He expected T.
would be easy sailing TO "a Nat!onal
League batting championship, and
Benny suffered much moro than many
persons imagined when score after score
was sent into league headquarters with.
out any hits for b. Michael, or contain.
ing merely desultory singles. And
though singles count Just as big In bat,
ting averages as home runs. to Benny
they belong TO the same category o.
bases or balls. The only thing they arc
good for Is to put a man on base. ]. ,s
the extra base hits that put the joy into
his young life.
Obstacles In Faith.
Blu. let Benny tell his own story. IT
had \ bad year." said Benny. "aul that
10 all there Is to It. I did a lot Of talk
Ing In the spring. and I thought 7 would
bust right through the National League.
but II wasn't as easy as / thought.
"A lot OF things were printed abou
mo. M I was conscious that I had 10
live UP to a reputation. Every place I
went they expected mo to knock n lit
every time I came up. I tried to obligA
hIlu WdHteu 10 Tndhe good my nfeiir-
tions. and then ! guess I was nervous.
I was o%veranixous to connect and show
how far ! could hit the ball.
Ball players and the reporters SAID
I was hitting bad balls, and It was true.
But ! was missing balls right through
the groove. They even grooved them TO-
! me In the pinch. but I would swing too
soon or too late. I tried too hard 70
make good. I was thinking more about
what I was expected 10 do than on the
ball. and I didn't get my hits.
"In the last third OF tho Nations,
League season did a lot better ard I
was cracking the pitchers pretty hard
just before the end OF the season came
Tho reason | went botter Is ,hat ! 20
longer was n conspicuous mcmhCr 90
tho team. and l had become accustomed
to the routine OF tho National League
With the novelty gone. I expect 10 NJ.
naturally next season. and believe Z
will bat we'll over 900. l found ou'
there was lots 10 learn IN tho ma,1rp
and no man ever prohted more hy Nls
nrst year In the big leagues than ! d!i.
I feel ten years older. mentally. than I
did this time last October"
All Of which should prove very inter-
ssting 10 Giant fans. ms Benny ha..!rg
In Federal League form should be quite
a little help TOWARD bringing a worlds
championship series 10 Manhattan Isl
and.
Huggins 20 Trade Players.
Miller Higgins. tho pee wee manager
OF the s.. Louis Cardinals. has issued n
trade warning. Miller. who oncc ru'
over a memorable deal on Fred Clar.o
says he will attend the National League
meeting next month prepared to do q
little winter swapping.
"Ifug" made This statement at'er 4
conference with tho new president OF tNs
Cardinals. Mrs. Helen Hathaway Brl'
ton. Mrs. Britton recently has asked
for waivers o. the former president -
rhe club, her husband. "Ski' Br'''or
II was Mrs. Brltton's rrst action since
she elected herself president Of tho club
She advised Hug" his Job was gooo
and told him to SEQ what he could d.
about trading.
There will be some big change. n
the Cardinals" said Higgins, "Ons ~
my players seems to he In verv Fr.a'
demand. No less than seven Notiora
League club have made over urcs -
Frank Snyder, our catcher, intend %
pull OF some big trades when ! co. 80
New York next month"
Higgins now is willing TO trad, 1r.
Jack Miller. Chief Wilson ana Auto
Butler to anybody that Is y. uLsn'4.
When Wilson was traded to -, Iuta
ny Fred Clarke he was known \. 'F"
Triple King" lilo hit thirty siN '.'7"
baggers In 1912: last season le ~ -"
James Hopes I a Come BncL.
Big Bill James, star OF the re. ''V
Braves worlds champions - ''''
thinks he will come back. lie r,.,'N'
pitched Ave scoreless innings asa ns'
tho Chico. Cal. team of the Ca'ff,e'i
Winter League, The arm fo't So good
that James expressed his intention up
going nine innings the mex Surdo"
Shortstop recently was discus Nc
James's case with the president CO., '.'
National League, Gov. Tener. Nt'1
James In his 1914 form the cri'''
tory of tho National LeaSue n r,.,
wears would have been different, ~
was nosed out IN tight races IN hc,I t,l
and 1919. With James IN Co"'''.'
Boston would have won both those ..f.
IL don't believe any two men ven"
ever more disappointed than Gt0"'
and Stallings when tho team lost
1915. Bach believed he had a CLUB ''1'
would get into the worlds scr'oS -"
several years to come. and G1"' "
built his immense stand largely Z 'N'
die this worlds series business JH."'
a boy just In his prime, looked ,.." "
Johnson or Alexander. who wou'a -"
the pillar Of the club for years, but .
most over night he lost all OF his ''l
cheney. Ills case IS one OF the TRACED ~
OF baseball"