Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-23
ALEX, WHO GETS $12, 500, AND BENDER,
I WHO DOESN'T, ENJOY DAY AT TRAPS
Pitcher Who Was Hoisted to Pinnacle on Same
n Day That Chief Was Showed Into Discard
Acts as if Nothing Had Happened

-pttrMpH sits as lightly on the brow of
Alexander the Great, one of the worlds
- highest salared pitchers. as does de-
s..t on the frontal bone of Chief Bender,
,AI of Philadelphia fandom for more than
S.cade who was toppled from his pedestal
- the same day that ALEX was pushed
y" ~ ,he pinnacle. That uneasy lies the head
~, wears a crown" stuff doesn't seem to
=. ALEX" for minute. and II Chief Bender
!. doing any worrying his Indian stoicism
r,svents him from showing 1t.
Grover Cleveland Alexander spent his
erst day as a plutocrat pitcher banging
.mav AT clay pigeons at the traps of the
r,.,deman Fishhouse Association, at Beide-
nan-on the. Delaware, just above Camden.
p..,de him on the concrete crescent stood
CHARLES A. Bender. his erstwhile teammate.
mo was Internationally released by the
lph,,es management on the same day that
aAjsx" after a controversy that had kept
,ocaI fans in a turmoil for more than a
sortnight signed a contract with President
"a ker that brackets him with Walter John.
an as one of the highest paid hurlers in the
history of baseball.
- strange occupations, one may say, for
wan who have just reached such opposing
elimaxes in their careers
Out on Lark
vet when one knows the two men it does
seem SO SlTdHst' dltti II was II
halliday, and they were out for a lark.
Alexander was the same Alex" seriously
intent on moving down clay birds as though
they were opposing batsmen, while Bender
BENDER was just Chief" the man whose
name has led all the rest at the Beideman
shoots oftener than has any other mans.
~ the knel of his pitching career was
sounding in Bender's ears, it failed to affect
mis- eyesght and nerves. He proved it by
roing out and winning the club spoon for
high gun with a score of Diminishing only
one bird out of hundred
The grinding of a movie" camera
seemed to worry ALEX" more than the
cares of wealth. His score showed 1t. too.
On his first two trips to the traps he got
twenty four and twenty-three out Of his
quota of twenty-five clay birds Not bad
shooting for a man whose practice with
nun has been mostly in the field rather than
behind a trap and who hasn't pulled a trig-
rer since Christmas.
a But when Alex" and the Chief sauntered
out on the porch of the clubhouse for their
Third twenty-five the moving picture opera
tor began to do some shooting" on his own
account and Alexander jumped. Then he
smiled good naturedly when the man be-
hind the crank asked him to look pleasant
"How does it feel to be a putocrat in
these days of high cost O. living?" said the
movie" man. grinding away.
"Alex" only grinned.
'Nervous?" he was asked.
''Not Bit" said Alex"
N But on his next two turns at the traps
the best Alex could do was two twenty
twos for a total Of ninety-one. The last
two scores were accomplished with one eye
On the sights of his gun and the other on
the camera man, who was hopping around
shooting" a few more pieces, with a
still" or two for good measure.
Chief Also Ratified
The Chief, too. apparently was ratified by
the advent of the' photographer, for he got
only twenty-four on his third trip and
spoiled perfect score. Let's blame it on
the click of the shutter anyway