The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-20
JACOBSON MADE GOOD IN MAJORS
 AFTER 5 TRIALS

St. Louis. Oct. 2O-Just a managers
 word for it that his job with the team
 was safe for the season made Bill
 Jacobson this year-made him a real
 major lea guer and one of the Amerb-
 can Leagues really great hfttGrts
 Baby Doll Bill says himself. The
 word was from Manager Jimmy
 Burke of the Browns and Jacobson
 tells the story in interesting fashion
 in an interview.
 Jacobson was one of the greatest
 hitters in the American League the i past season, yet in previous trials which extend over a period of five
 years he was a fiat failure. He has been star in the minors as far back as 1912. Hugh Jennings tried him in Detroit. Branch Hickey and Fielder Jones tried him with the Browns.
 Baby Doll fiivvered miserably. A giant in physical attributes. he was pigmy in the batting average. Fail ure to hit a low ball on the outside of the plate was, the experts said, re- sponsible for Jacobson's failure in the lmajor leagues of baseball. Five times he was tried and five times he was sent back to the minors, the word
 ''Faf!ure' written on his garage-door of a back.
 Then in 1919, Jacobson got his sixth
 chance and he made good. From a
 miserable .175 hitter he has become
 one of the greatest sIuggers, as well
 a hitters, in baseball. There is no
 1uke about his hitting. It is as clean and hard and sure that of Anson,
 Jajoie, DeIehanty or any other of the great batters of the game. What brought about this remarkable change in your batting?" Jacobson was asked.
 You are killing low balls outside that drove you out of the league five l times in five years. How is it that you hit that ball now? You hit it better than you hit any other ball. l, Did you make a study of it or prac-
 tice 1t or anything like that?' 'Not any Of those things said the giant Norseman, who looks like Viking and hits like old Thor him self. "As a matter of fact no pitched ball ever drove me out of l the major leagues. I could hit the i low ball, outside, in the minors There are Just as good pitchers in the
 minors as in the majors. Not , so many of them, but some just as good. Remember that the minor . league of today is the major league of tomorrow.
 What drove you of the majors then ?" Jacobson was asked Ivory, I guess said the Viking , You see when young player , 1 comes up, he sees the great stars , for the first time, aid the big , stands and the great crowds and the big managers, and he worries a lot about his ability to make good . In such great company. Then he : has stars and old friends to fight against him for job and he may
 be passed up or treated coldly and :, given to understand that he is not
 thought much of.
 Then he may have troubles at home. His wife may be sick or lonely, a baby may be sick or com
 ing, he may owe money on his house or farm or in his winter business.
 He may have great obligations and
 he may be worried about meeting
 them. All depends upon making good.
 If he feels that his job is cinched a player can do better than when he is undergoing the pitiIess pun- : ishment of fighting his best friend for the job and not being sure that 2 he can beat him. If he wins he 7 loses, for he must beat his pal to 3 succeed. If he loses-well he 2 loses. Sometimes I was glad I lost rather than won at the cost of a
 good friend.
 ) T am not blaming the rnanagers - l played under before Jimmy Burke 3 But never felt that I had a job 3 c1nched until Burke made me feel l that way last spring. When Burke : told me that had job for the sea- - son, I was a new man. I began to - hit and field as I had never hit or : felded in the majors before. I had 9 hit and felded we'll in the minors, 9 for I knew I had my job cinched 1 there. But not in the majors.
 T was feeling blue as usual in r. e spring, and looking for the tic l back to the old Southern League, T when Burke called me aside one : day.
 ] "'Here 1t comes,' I said to myself. = will 1t be back to Bob Allen at r Little Rock, or will they send me up = among my fellow w-countrymen with
 Joe Candllon in Minneapolis? I was
 sick all over. I had tried five times
 and I was weary of the heart-break-
 ing failure.
 ] "'Say you big stiff - he always ; called me you big stiff'-said Burke to me, where's your wife?'
 up in the country in Illinois, f I replied.
 "I thought you always kept her with you during the summer? said : Burke.
 : "T do, I replied, when I am e settled down for the summer r "'Ain't you settled down here for . he summer?' asked Burke.
 "I don't know I said. You S see-'
 n "'Send for your wife today broke s in Burke. You're settled down fo; e the summer
 - 'tGee. They say I am a whale of 8
 man. I guess I must have grown ten q inches taller and 50 inches wi6ar