Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-29
AROUND THE BASES

Ed Klepfer, who is in France, has
written to Steve .O'Neil, a former
teammate on the Cleveland club. ar
follows: You know how it feels
| when Walter Johnson buzzes one
past your ears? Well. that's now il
feels when the Huns are trying 10
pick you Off"
About 200 people a day is what
the Cardinals are drawing, showing
how the ST. Louis fans have turned
down the management. The Browns
drew very good crowds during their
recent home stay, but the rooters do
not like the way the Cards are be-
ing handled, and prefer to stay away
from the grounds. 1t was a costly
thing for the National League when
President Hickey allowed Miller
Huggins to got out of the league. The
midget was extremely popular, and
might have had team in the first
division If he had been allowed TO
remain, as he wanted to do. Mon
days paid attendance was 1913, and
there were about the same number
out Tuesday.
Joe Cantllon is going to France to
work either for the Y. M. c. A. or
dispose of this old mans home, az
they called the Minneapolis club, he
has been seeking action against the
Kaiser and now has found It.
The Cantillon "boys," Bill and
Mike and Joe,l have been big figures
in America for years. Bill was gen
eral manager of the Northwestern
railroad, and Mike and Joe, besides
their baseball interests, have a big
plantation and other interests.
On the bench, as a ''raver," Joe
excelled either Comiskey, Stallings
or Chance. One day he was going
good, addressing an offending ball
player:
"You solid skulled, reinforced con-
crete headed idiot" he said, "if you
had twice as much brains as you
have you'd be half wit"
He purred on that strain for a
time and then suddenly he made
despairing gesture and said:
"Oh, what's the use? If you had
half sense you'd be a major Lacquer
and wouldn't be on my team"
Joe was one of the best umpires
that ever handled an indicator, and
the quickest-witted with the possible
exception of the lamented Tim
Hurst. While he and Charlie CO.
field and have been the closest of
chums for many years, the feud be-
tween them in Joe's umpiring days
was wild and woolly. They fought
all the time and the repartee be-
tween the lump" and the bench was
worth going miles to hear.
One day in Chicago, Joe chased
half the White Sox team off the
bench and the next day, when he
appeared at the pass gate, he
brought two men with him. The
gate Keeper, an ardent partisan,
imagined that the feud on the field
extended further and hesitated to
admit the umpire and his compan-
ions, but finally referred the problem
to Comisliey.
"The umpire is here with two
friends, Mr. Comiskey," he said,
"Umpire." shrieked Joe. "And got
friends! Let 'em in"
Umpire Charles Rigler has accent
ed a post as athletic director in the
overseas Y. M. c. A. service, and
will leave for France or Italy i'm
n1ediately after the close of the sea-
son next week. He received the Of
fer yesterday and within an hour
his acceptance was in the mail. Rig
ler Is eminently fitted for this posi-
ton as he is an athlete of much abil-
ity, having had experience in base
ball, football and most other forms
of athletic sport. He is giving up a
good position which he had previous
ly accepted. Rigler is married and
has two children. He is the first
major league umpire to enter active
IL IL,