New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-02
Career of Sac and Fox
Indian in Big League
Seems at End.
SLOW CURVE BALL
HIS DEATH kNELL
kauff and Cobb Meet in Long
Awaited Batting Duel at
Houston To- day.
By FRANK O'NEILL.

Beaumont, Ten. April The career
Of Jim Thorpe as a major league ath
lcte Is over. perhaps. John J. McGraw
has released the famous Sac and Fox
TO the Milwaukee team of the Amerl-
can Association under the optional
agreement. but II Is the consensus OF
opinion that the option will not be
exercised
Thorpe will report to his new team
az once. Thorpe was not the only ath
lCte to fall under the sweep of the
pruning knife. Joe Rodriguez. the
young Cuban first baseman, WAS shipped
to the New London team OF the league
@ be formed from the merger of the
New England League ard the Eastern
Association.
The failure to Thorpe 90 live up TO
promise was n disappointment 10 Me
Graw. When the Indian reported this
spring he changed his stand ~ the
rlate and hit left-handed. He failed
u work any great Improvement. how
ever. and his nemesis of old, the slow
curve. worked just as great havoc with
his batting average "a ever. Jim could
7 OF hit the benders with any degree OF
success.
Failure 70 succeed worked on the In
dams nerve, and he would hit now
right-handed and again left-handed.
When he took hold Of ball. his phe-
nomenal strength enabled him TO pole
i. TO great distance, but he was not
consistent. He was more than likely to
strike out with men on bases. More
over. his fielding was not Of major
league standard despite his heroic work
to improve n. and his "peed on the
bases was not utilized y. best advan,-
age. Jim thought. but gen rally wrong.
Rodriguez is a youngest OF unusual
promise. lie is a born bsll player and
veritable bulwark on defence. but he
il bit 100 small TO stand the grind
of the big leagues. His hitting will
have to be improved upon, too.
The weather played a little April
fool Joke on the Giantl here to-day.
They we're to have met Jim Delehanty's
Oilers, but heavy rain put the noble
athletes 10 utter rout They Just loafed
around the Crosby House and shot pool
and otherwise amused themselves Tor
somewhat more than five hours.
John b. Foster wanted 10 return 10
Houston on the MONDAY train, but
was reminded Of rule Of the National
Commission. which would have made
had left town without waiting for
decent interval on the chance of clear
ing weather. Even the genial Larry
Doyle lost his smile.
The Giants have little cause for com
plant on this trip. for this Is the only
rainy day encounter
Some Of the boys hired an auto and
rode out 70 the oil wells, but even those
lacked inspiration.
Benny KauF and Ty Cobb will fight
their much talked Of duel on the dia-
mond in Houston tomorrow afternoon.
The Tigers and Giants will meet in the
fifth and deciding game Of their series,
and this time the Tigers will have the
Georgia peach in the lineup. Tyrus
arrived az Houston late last night.
carrying with him a dozen bats, all Of
which are loaded with base hits, he
says.
Iy is In fine condition. he says. and
he surely looks the part. lie has had
no batting practice, however, and with
all the Giants pitchers in first class
condition he may have his hands full 10
get any hits.
Ksuff has not startled the world with
his smuggling so far on the trip. al
though he has done fairly well. IL
may be that he will Guido the fallen
Georgian in their meeting tomorrow.
JEFF Tesreau IS strutting around here
as II he owned the earth He was noti-
fed of the arrival of Charles NJ. Tes-
reau, jr. Young JEFF weighs nine
pounds and the wire said that mother
and baby were doing well. Up 10 date,
however. JEFF has not passed any cigars
Don't think for a minute that ball
players talk only OF baseball. For
more than two hours George Kelly,
Lew Wendell and Benny Ksuf sat and
talked about the possibility Of war.
Mexico, Japan and Germany were named
as possible opponents. Wendell was
willing to fight Japan and Mexico,
while Kelly was in favor Of licking
them all. Kelly. being San Fran
ciscan, just loves the Japs. Yes, he
does.
The luckiest men on the team were
those left in Houston, for one way Of
wasting a day Is 10 come 70 Beaumont.
Every indication ia that we picked a.
least one live ball player on the trip.
From the start we insisted that Her
bert Hunter would make good. and we
have learned that McGraw has refused
every offer made for the young man.