Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-28
McCraw, Jennings, Robin.
son and Joe Kelley Again
in South after 27 Years
OF Service
WONDERS OF DIAMOND
By CRANTLAND RICE

AS LONG as his gray cap covered up
"A the still lighter gray Of his dome
you couldn't have told him from any
of the other youngsters romping around
the field at Jacksonville. He looked to
be trife robust, but still shifty on his
feet. with an easy grace at bat, but 1t
was only when a gust of wind blew his
cap Off. exposing his venerable knob to
the yellow southern sun, and when some
one started whistling "Silver Threads
Among the Gold" that you knew he had
been over the spring trail more than
once.
Joe Kelley made his first southern trip
in 1892. when he hit the Dixie highway
with the old Orioles. This was his
twentyeseventh journey down the spring
trail. which may or may not be close to
a record, but which is long enough.
Those Orioles
Kelley wasn't the only one from that
old Baltimore delegation who still per-
sists in taking the spring highway into
balloon. Hughey Jennings, John Nc
Graw and Wilbert Robinson are three
other members Of that eminent machine
who have been taking spring training
trips for more than a quarter of CEN
tury
outfit here after twenty-seven years.
Four out of the eight regulars are still
in the service. n little portly, on the
average, but still important cogs in the
machinery of the old game. The old
Cubs turned out four managers-Chance.
Evers, Tinker and Killing. But none of
these Is left in the main show, whereas
the old Orioles of the early nineties still
carry three mandarins on the major
league roster. and among them they
already have bagged ten pennants with
at least another year or two TO GO
The Harder Lot
Aside from the ancient Oriole outfit
the same old bunch who helped to make
the game famous were n harder lot
than the present array. Baseball brio
a-brac was not as fragile in the early
nineties as 1t has grown TO be Of late
years, when the price went up. Appar-
emily the more a thing costs the more
fragile it is.
From the old guard Cy Young pitched
twenty-five years. Pop Anson lasted
twenty, Nap Lajoie and Hans Wagner
carried on, for twenty -one campaigns. OF
the present crop how many are left
who were in the game even fifteen years
ago? Offhand we can't recall one. Ty
He still has six years to serve before
reaching the twenty-year mark Speaker
has served thirteen seasons.
Most Of the other stars-Collins,
Baker, Barry. McInuis, Johnson, Alex
ander etc.--have seen less than a dozen
seasons, where. after twelve years serv-
ice. Wagner. Lajoie, Anson and Young
were only trife over half way through
still with several years of stardom ahead
of them.
Favor the Cubs
The majority of ball players we have
talked to favor the Cubs in the National
League. with the American League race
more of an open proposition. Favoring
the Cubs is a logical guess. They merely
figure that if the Cubs could win a pen
nant minus Alexander why should they
Nose with the addition of a pitcher good
for thirty victories year?
1t doesn't require any keen student
of statistics nor any amazing expert 10
ask this question. Later on an accident
or two or some unexpected upset may
shift the everlasting dope. Such things
have happened at least once or twice
since they glorified FOUNDERS" as the
English call it.
But that doesn't alter the fact that
the Cubs, with Alexander attached, look
to be the main people at this early writ
ing. What September will show us may
be something else again. But why
bother with September while still
harassed with the cares and travails of
March? One at time is fast enough in
this dizzy age.
Unknown TO Homer
did the ancient Creeks asks a corre-
spondent, who were supposed to be
sharks at this wrestling game, fake all
their matches, too?" We hate to admit
to a despised modernity, but frankly,
the ancient Greeks" were wrestling a
year or two before We knew what it
was all about. II an answer is 4sde-
manded, however, ours would be, .sEery
likely"
Another correspondent wants to know
what sporting writer invented the phrase
pink of condition" We purchased a
copy Of the "Iliad" In the recollection
that it was none other than Old Doc
Homer himself. But, after attempting
a translation, we found that it was all
OLYMPIA A. A. Broad and Balnbridge