The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-15

The war department could make no wiser selection than Johnny Evers as director of baseball in the trenches of France. The Trojan" has every qualification necessary for such an i'm portant job.
 No man understands baseball bet ter than Evers; few men are more gifted as teachers. Evers is an insplr- ing leader. All through the years of his baseball greatness these slogans have been his: Up and at em, boys" and Never die.'' What better mottos could be taught a soldier boy than those which Evers will teach them?
 And best of all, Eyers has per sonality off the ball fled which is both magnetic and lovable. .g a
 To those who have watched "Tro- jan Johnny" on the ball field for more than 15 years-and never have seen him off of it-the statement that he is a modest, quiet, unassuming in- dividual after the battle is over may seem an untruth. But it is true. If lever there was "Dr JelSyl and MT. Hyde" in baseball history, that man is Johnny Evers
 Ever since Johnny broke into the game back in 1902, he has been an um- pires night mare. Countless times in the years since then he has been ef- faced from the pastime by insulted umpires. The vitrolic verbal attacks of Evers brought him many suspensions. The title of Human Crab" long ago was bestowed upon Evers. His kick ing tactics, his sarcastic utterances from the coachers box and many other stunts of the same kind earned for Ev- CTS the occasional hoots of the fans. But nothing ever changed the conduct of Evers on the ball field. He had the courage of his own conviction. He felt that the way to win ball games was to fight for every point--and fight he did to the last ounce of energy and power in his frail frame.
 Evers never missed a chance to dis |pute a decision of an umpire. But Ito his credit, it must be said that none of his kicks were ever made with the idea of gaining publicity for him. self. He was fighting for every inch of ground and even if his team seemed hopelessly beaten, because Johnny Fly |ers never figured that his club was beaten until the last man was out. Eyers helped to win three pennants for the Cubs, then went to the lowly Braves and by the inspiration of his own fighting spirit, transformed the outfit in one year from a spiritlesS out fit to a dashing. scrapping worlds champion ball club.
 Off the ball field one finds a remark ably different Johnny Eyers. As soon as the fighting Trojan" doffs his diamond regalia for his street clothes. he changes from a sharp-tongued. fighting conspicuous athlete to an un- assuming man of business. Not even the most staid banker could conduct himself with greater dignity off the bah field than does Johnny Evers. Quiet, soft-spoken, ever ready to lend an attentive ear, but rarely injecting any comments concerning himself that is Johnny Evers off the ball field. Whenever he attends the big base ball meetings in New York, he att tracts the largest group of sport writ CTS They find in Johnny a delightful companion; one ever ready to give an interview, ever ready to talk over the old days of baseball; a man who never finds a request of anyone too hard to fulfill. Long ago it was said of John ny Evers that "He would go to h. for friend"-and that saying still holds true.
 Evers makes many enemies on the ball field. but when the day of battle is over and they meet Evers in the hotel Hobbies or outside of the parks. the personal magnetism of Johnny Ev- CTS, his frankness, his honesty and his good nature bridge every chasm.
 Once a ball player whom Johnny rode mercilessly during the game and who threatened to crush him to pulp afterward, met Johnny in the lobby of a hotel, walked up to him and then instead of opening up hostilities, said:
 John, whenever you get busy pam ming me on the ball field, l feel like killing you. I have made up my mind a dozen times to do it as soon as the game is over. But just as soon as you get your uniform off, you are such an awfully good fellow that wouldn't want to start an argument with you under any circumstances. How do you explain it?'
 < And Johnny answered him:
 When I am out on the ball field I a fighting for every advantage that I can get for my team. But I stop fighting when the game is over.'
 Johnny Evers is the man for the big athletic job in France.
 Bud Doble has retired from the sulky, but his fame as reinsman Will live through all the years that the harness sport remains. For 1t was Doble who