Evening star., 1917-11-17
IVAN OLSON LIVES DOWN
REPUTATION OF A GOAT
Came Back Strong With Brooklyn
Team and Now Has Fans
With Him.

Ivan Olson. Brooklyn's Fighting
Swede. formerly with the Cleveland
American League club. has come
through.
By making good. Olson is no longer
League, nor a target for the sharp
shooters of the Hammer Throwers' AS
sociation. His work at shortstop- for
the Dodgers in the season just closed
commanded the respect and admiration
Of the fans-those same fans who but
the season previous heaped words of
abuse and insult on his head.
In the world series Of 1916 Olson's
work at shortstop was a bugbear for
Dodger fans. His work during the
thing but brilliant. but the Dodgers
couldn't get along without him very
well. and couldn't dispose of him. eth
er. So Ivan stuck. and is still sticking
like a porous plaster.
It takes some remarkable grit and
courage for a ball player to face the
panning that was handed Olson without
losing his nerve. But Olson has done
this very thing. and through his in
domitable spirit has made a valuable
ball player out of himself at last.
Goat in 1915 Series.
A writer once referred to the Swede
shortstopper as "hatchet faced, fight
in sonofagun," and he is all Of that,
He was the goat of the 1916 world Sc
ries. an awkward. bow-legged ball
player, and he was given as much
major league spangles: but he's still
in there fghtin' 'em, and there is no
indication that his Job isn't secure.
When the 1917 season opened VIII
bert Robinson had Laverne Fabrique,
the Providence wonder. groomed and
labeled for the regular shortstopping
job on the Brooklyn team. Fabrique
looked like a million dollars at Hot
Springs, and he looked like a sure
enough eighteen-karat major league
phenom during the first few weeks of
the season. But. like SO many new
corners in the big show. he began to
fade as the pitchers settled down, and
as his batting fell off his fielding also
became shaky. Finally he was re-
leased to the Toledo Iron Man, and
Ole Ivan the Terrible got his job
back.
Started Game in Muskogee.
Olson started playing ball with
Muskogee in 1905 and he played with
Webb City and Portland before going
to the big leagues in 1911. when CIeve-
land claimed him through a working
agreement with the Portland club
In his first season with Cleveland
Olson played at short. but in 1912,
1913 and 1914 he was assigned to
third base. and also played a few
games at first and second base. Finally
in 1915 Cleveland asked for waivers
on the big Swede and Cincinnati
claimed him, later releasing him to the
Dodgers.
Olson has never hit better than PSI
in the big show. and his fielding dur
ing the years he spent In Cleveland
uniform was not particularly brilliant.
But the Olson Of today is a different
Olson from the one who made so many
costly foozles for Brooklyn In 1916, and
the fans of Flatbush have ceased to
pan him.
Many ball player accorded the
panning that has been handed Olson
would have been shunted to the min
ors, for the average player can't stand
being put on the griddle. and espe-
cially in his home town. It's just that
Ole flghtin' spirit and determination in
Olson's makeup that has carried him
through. and he deserves a huge COB
of praise for the showing he is making
now.