Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-08-19
BASE BALL PLAYERS
LOVE THE SPORT.
Few Give Up Playing Voluntarily as
the Game Affords a Great Fascina-
ton.

How many professional baseball
players are there who have quit the
game voluntarily?
That is a question that was brought
up during rainy afternoon fanfest
when the subject of John McGraw re-
firing from the game at the eXpira-
ton of his contract with the New
York club, was brought up.
Very few players who have quit the
game of their own violation and none
of them reIinquished their positions
until they were in the seer and yell
lower that is they were long past their
prime. They saw the handwriting on
the wall which brought to their minds
that they were going back"
The only instance of PLAYER throw
ing up his job when he had a contract
that was binding on the club for an
other year, was Eddie Grant of the
Giants. Last spring. Eddie entered the
headquarters of the New York club
and said I am through. I don't think
l can earn my salary and I'm going
to resign on that account"
Grant Tore Up Contract.
Eddie then took his contract out of
his pocket Ga duplicated tore it up and
| threw it into the waste basket while
President Hampstead and Secretary
| roster looked at him in dumb amaze
ment, that such a thing could be.
Grant is Harvard graduate, well
educated and gentleman on and off
LII Jan 4ICIOl ne IlGu Appeared TO
| President Hampstead by reason of his
| personality and the latter had in view
TO make Eddie a scout for the Giants
in place of Dick KtnseIIa. who had
| been released previously. But Eddie
wanted no more of baseball unless he
! could continue in it as an active plav-
| er. He announced that he was going
| INTO business up around Boston way
He may have had that plan in mind
| but 1t was only a little after the cham
III
was heard of as manager of a semi
professional club over in jersey CITY
and there he is today playing Satur-
! day and Sunday games.
There is fascination about base
| ball that one once in it, one cannot re-
SlSt continuing in it.
| John Tener, president of the Ma
| tlOnaI league. may have quit the game
| at a time when he could have had sew
| eraI years more of activity as a pitch
| er, but. he too, came back as the
mead OF the parent organization. 1t is
! doupIfuI though if any other position
! would have attracted him. It was a
/ most worthy ambition to become the
| Dig boss in the league with which he
| became prominent as a player and he
| is justly proud of it,
| In speeches he has said that he is
prouder of being in professional base
! ball than in holding the high offices
! he did as governor of the great state
! of Pennsylvania, grand exalted ruler
| OF the ElkS and national congressman
In the first game Tener pitched he
| walked up to the umpire at an import
| ant stage of the contest when his
| jumps had called four balls instead Of
| three strikes and irately asked:
| w nat was the matter with that
| ball " and his jumps retaIiated with:
II you say that AGAIN it will cost you
But this did not cause the future
! governor of Pennsylvania and presi-
dent of the National league to quit the
| game. although the decision lost him
! ms game. He loved the sport then
| and he loves it now.
Keller Quits Yankees.
Willie Keller, the originator of the
amt" might have played several
! years longer than he did, but the great
! little batter tUmbIed that he was slow
ing up and he threw up his job with
! the 1ankees. Erwin was induced to
| get back into it by his old pal Nc
| Graw, and he acted as a substitute
| player and pinch hitter for the Giants.
| But after short taTry with them he
| MED himself over to WILLIAMSBURG.
| where he passes his time collecting
| rents and playing pinoChle with his
| cronIes. However, Willie Keller has
| not forgotten his love for the old game.
Jake Stahl took up the banking bus
! mess after he made a hit as manag
OF the WashIngtOns but he could not
resist the attraction of the sport and
he came back to manage the worlds
| champion Red SOX. But Jake was
| pretty near all in as a player.
Players in the big league invariably
say they will never, no, never. PLAY
| in a minor league. But how many of
them are there who have lived uD to
| that statement?
Doom Changed Mind.
There is, for instance, Charley