Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-16

Sam, and intends to enlist in the
aviation service after the close of
the baseball season. He has been in
formed unofffeially that he may have
difficulty in obtaining an opportunity
of learning to guide bombing planes
over the Hun lines in France, owing
to his age. The Nationals backstop
is 81. Most of the men selected for
aerial service are considerably
younger, it having been found that
intrepid youth makes the best avia-
tor. In case he is unable to fly, Ain
smith plans to enlist in the air serv-
ice. 1t is his purpose to present him
self for service at Kelly Field, Texas,
which is not far from Yorktown,
where his young daughter is living
with kinfolk.
Before dropping out the other day
for another catcher, Mike Gonzalez
caught sixty consecutive games for
the Cardinals.
1t is one of the most remarkable
backstopping performances in some
time, but st. Louis critics are miles
away from the mark in setting up
the claim that the Cuban receiver
has established major league rec
ord. AS a matter of fact Gonzalez
did not succeed in going even half
way to the record. George Gibson put
the real mark beyond the reach or
all the modern backstops when he
caught in lao consecutive games for
Pittsburgh in 1909, the season in
which the Pirates won the worlds s
championship. When the 1918 races
began, Ray Schalk of the White Sox,
Eddie Ainsmith, of the Senators, and
several other iron men" among the
catchers, were ambitious to catch
every day for their clubs in an at
tempt to equal Gibson's record, but
as most fans anticipated, the con-
tract proved too stiff for all of them.
When the war is over there will be
one player missing for good and that
player is Third Baseman ]: Franklin
Baker, of the Yankees. Baker de-
clares positively that this is his last
season of professional ball, and
there are many reasons for believing
that he will adhere to his resolution:
Baker now is thirty-three years OF
age, and the travels of baseball never
did appeal to him.
The handsome ball park fitted up
by the hackers of the Dayton Club,
of the Central League, q couple OF
years ago, at a cost of $4,000, on
ground leased from the city, has
been taken over by the governmept
as an addition to its aviation field
and the stands have been dismantled.
When informed that Hal Chase has
threatened to sue the Cincinnati club
for his salary until the end of the
season, Manager Mathewson said
that he had anticipated such pos
sibility and was fully prepared for 1t.
He knew that the loss of his salary
for two months and a half would be
a severe blow to Chase, but he says
that he did not suspend the first base
man without having full grounds for
doing so and proof. of the players
negligence on several occasions. Sew
eral of the Reds are willing to swear
to certain events that have transpir-
ed during the season, and Matty is
confident that their testimony will be
a perfect defense for the club in It's
action in suspending Chase for the
rest of the year.
Ernest Shore, former pitcher for
the Boston American League Club,
passed his examination at the Har-
ward school for ensigns with such
high marks that he was one OF the
five picked to take a special course
shore, who enlisted in the navy with
other teammates many months ago,
was later transferred to the ensign
school at Harvard.
When Rufe Turner was knocking
them all dead in Stockton, CAL,
fellow showed up in the gymnasium
one day and asked that Rufe don the
gloves with him.
Rufe, who always had trouble find
ing a sparring partner when his reg
ular man. Bob Langley, the red
headed negro, wasn't around, was
glad to avail himself of the fellows S
services.
Hit as hard as you want" the
stranger said to Rufe. "The harder
you hit the better I'll like it."
Pretty soon Rufe let go one for
the chin and the fellow fell like he'd
been hit with a brick.
Rufe was very sorry. He helped
rub the stranger and bring him too.
TOO bad, old Wan," said Rufe,
when the stranger opened his eyes,
"I ought to have been more careful" ="
I'm $40 ahead. 1 bet chap that
you'd score five straight knockouts.
I'm the fifth"
Cincinnati is the toughest town
ever known for a baseball manager.
No .one ever satisfied the fans there.
Now they are blaming Matty for the
direct loss of twelve games during
the season. The critics have Matty' S
mistake down to where they know
exactly the number of games Chris
lost, and they blame it all on his re-
fusal to act as relief pitcher. Per-
haps had Matty played such a role
his work would have been responsible
for "a defeats instead of a mere
dozen.
Ephrata has a baseball club to be
proud of and they had been winning
right along until they began to meet
York county teams. Quarryville has
a team exclusively home talent that