Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-16
1WAMBY' NOW STAR
Indians Utility InfieIder Makes
Good With a
Vengeance.
INTENDED FOR MINISTRY
Has Taken Ivan Towards Place at
Second and Is in No Danger
of Being Replaced.
BY ERNEST J. LANIGAN.

Like Max Carey of the Pirates, it was
intended that William Adolph Wambs-
ganss, who filed in so ably at short
for Ray Chapman when the Indian
shortstop was laid up with water on the
knee and who now is Cleveland's regu-
lar second baseman, should be min
lister. Wamby's father is a German
Lutheran minister and so is one of his
brothers. They sent William Adolph
Wambsganss to Concordia Seminary,
at ST. Louis. to study for the min
same school three years before Wamby
got there. Wamby and Carey both
changed their minds about becoming
ministers after they had been at Con-
cordia and decided to become ball
players. the change in their plans not
irritating any one at the present time.
Wambsganss played under his own
name when he was helping represent
Concordia on the diamond. but he did
not play under his own name when he
was getting some coin of the realm
for INDUCING in the national pastime.
Hillsboro, ILL.,, in 1913, had a team in
the trolley league, one game per week
being played. The shortstop of the
Hillsboro team was Bill Higgins, and
he got IS a game and expenses for
pastiming on the Sabbath. The bill
Higgins" of three years back is the
Cleveland second baSeman of the pres
ent time.
1t was as Bill Higgins" that wamby
thinks he played his greatest game
said game being against a semi-pro-
fessional club from ST. Louis. In five
times at bat he delivered five safe
blows. one of them a double, and he
had three putouts and four assists
starting three double plays.
Was Born in Ohio.
Wamby is one of the few players on
the Cleveland club born in Ohio. He is
practically Sixth City product, hav-
ing been born in Newburg, now one
of Cleveland's suburbs, on March 10,
1894. He has few early recollections of
Cleveland, for his family moved to
Fort Wayne in 1895. Wamby started
going to Concordia Seminary in ST.
Louis in 1912 and lasted there one year.
At Concordia Wamby played second
base. The third baseman of the Con-
cordia team was AL Ward. He played
with Salina. Kan, and then with Cedar
Rapids. Iowa.
Ward was responsible for Wamby en-
tering the professional ranks. He rec
commended the young man who had
passed up the chance to become min
lister, to Beldon Hill, manager of the
Iowans, and Beldon signed him up as
shortstop.
Wamby, saying adieu to his alias of
Bill Higgins" and to Hillsboro. ILL.,,
reported to Hill, who has developed
many major leaguers, on Independence
Day, 1913, and was put to work at once.
Cedar Rapids played two games on the
afternoon of the glorious Fourth with
Ottumwa and won them both, despite
the fact that Wamby did not make
hit and that. in the second passage-at
arms. he cut loose with wild throw
to the plate that hit the grandstand
on the fly and let in two runs.
After making this wild throw Will
liam Adolph Wambsganss, to give him
his full name. got this bit of advice
from Beldon Hill:
whenever you throw them wild,
throw them wild"
Wambsganss did not make hit in
the short series with Ottumwa, getting
his first bingle in a game with Water
loo July 7. He laid down bunt and
beat it out.