Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-17
LEONARD ALMOST PERFECT FIGHTER:
SCRAPPY BALL PLAYERS PROVE BEST
Bush, Mcbride and Fletcher
Convincing Evidence of Last
ing Qualities Of Athlete
With Plenty Of Fight.
By JACK VEIOCK.

New York, June l6.-Fightin' spiri,
means a whole lot to the average
ball player.
The player who has natural ability
both as a hitter and a fielder does
not need so much of it, but to the
one who lacks topnotch class in
either hitting or fielding the old scrap.
pin spirit means everything.
Take a slant at Ownie Bush, vet
eran shortstopper Of the Tigers, as
an example OF the brand of player in
question. Always a wonderful
fielder, Bush has been holding his
own with the boys who scoop 'em up
in the short field, for, 10, these many
years. But Ownie has never been a
wonderful hitter, for in his eight full
years with the Detroit club he has av-
eraged about .240 at the bat, which
isn't heavy hitting by any means.
Yet Bush hangs on. He is play
ing great ball for Hugh Jennings this
year and he looks good for several
more seasons in the major leagues
because he is one of the boys who
holds on with a bulldog grip and
keeps fghtin' EN-.
Since Honus Wagner retired from
the game Bush, George Mcbride of
the Washington club and Artie
Fletcher of the Giants are the ranking
shortstops of the two big leagues in
point of service for a string of con-
secutive years.
Ninth Full Season.
This is Bush's ninth full season with
the Tigers. He went up from Indian
apolis in the fall of 1908, but played
in only twenty games. Mcbride was
up for a full year in 1905 and in 1906
played part Of the season with ST.
Louis, being released to Kansas City
in the late summer. But after COM
ing up the second time, to Washing
ton, in 1908, he made good off the reel
and is still wearing Washington uni
form.
Artie Fletcher has been with the
Giants since 1909 and with Bush and
Mcbride will soon pass the ten-year
mark as a major Lacquer.
All three of these players are
"fghtin' guys" Fletcher, unlike Bush
and Mcbride, is rated as a pretty fair
clubber, for he has a habit of hitting
around .2S5. But he isn't the fielder
that Bush is and he doesn't compare
with Mcbride when George was at
his best.
Mcbride Weak Hitter.
McBride's great asset has always
been his fielding and his quick brain
out there on the field of play. His
best year at the bat netted him an
average of only .235, and that was
1911.
Bush hit .294 in twenty games in
1908, but since that time .273 has been
his best effort, and that was away
back in 1909. Fletcher passed the
800 mark in 1911 with swatting
average Of ,3l9, in his only trip across
the charmed 300 mark.
Remembering all the while that
these three players have been in the
major league longer by several sea-
sons than the average ball player
manages to stick, and that all three
are "fghtin' ball players" the value
of backbone and spirit to the player
is brought home with a thud
Bush deserves more credit for max
ing his way to the majors than either
Mcbride or Fletcher, for the little
Detroit pepper box had a hard row
to hoe when he first came up. Dis
sension on the Detroit club among
the players entangled Bush and sew
eral of them tried to run him off the
team. But Ownie buckled down and
fought for his cakes, and he's still
there.
Big Wartime Horse Sales.
When Wilford Viau. the Canadian
horseman, paid $26,60O for Omar
Khayyam recently at Belmont Park
he did not set record by any means,
for in the good old days it was moth
ing for star galloper to bring $780,
900 or more when put on the block.
But for war times, the price paid for
Omar was big, and if he proves to be
the horse that he looks to be, he will
be worth his purchase price many
times over. Mr.. Viau is a newcomer
in turf circles and he intends to use
Omar Khayyam in the stud after he
retires him from the track.
The sale of The Harvester to Paul
Kuhn of Terre Haute, for $30,l00, in
the big auction at Madison Square
Garden recently, was one of the most
notable deals transacted in the har-
ness horse world in years, because of
the fact that The Harvester is getting
along in years, and that he can be
used for breeding purposes only. The
big price, therefore. was tribute to
the former worlds champion trotting
stallion.