The sun., 1919-03-30
NEW YORK NURSERY
OF Big LEAGUERS
Opinion to Contrary, City Has
Turned Out Many Base Z.
ball Celebrities.
MANY FROM THE BRONX
Kceler, Zimmerman, Jordan,
Rudolph, Lake and Ohring
Among Local Stars.
ooptrt0ht. 1919: on riohn seserved.
NJ FREDERICK @. LIEB.

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NJ FREDERICK @. LIEB.
Ono of the first statements made by
Charles Stoneham when he became
leading stockholder and president OF the
Giants few months ago was that he
would do all in his power to encourage
New York boys to try TO mako the
4 Giants
''One reason why firmly advocated q
return to the old twenty-five player
limit was to give McGraw a chance to
carry some of the local boys and give
them chance to develop" said Stone
ham.
81 think It would put color into the
team 20 have lot of New York boys
on its roster. Besides the city would
take kindly to a lot of local talent on
the home team. / should like to see
more players like Heinie Zimmerman
on the club during my ownership"
Very often one hears the statement
'Tsn't II strange that among the teem-
ing millions of New York city so few
ball players are producedT
Quite often the idea also spreads that
practically ell the great players are
country lads and that the freedom Of
The farm or the rural town gives {
country reared youngster a much better
cirance to develop along athletic lines
than tho boy who grows up in the
crowded streets OF great city.
shoe on other Foot.
However. the surprise 10 not that New
York develops so few professional ball
players, but that the crowded town has
developed 50 many.
When Il comes to rearing ball players
the greater city can hold It's own with
any community in the land. Many OF
the games greatest stars, Willie Keller.
Heinie Zimmerman, Rube Oldring. Dick
Rudolph. Matty Mcintyre Heinie Wag-
ner, Tim Jordan, Tommy Clarke, George
Chalmers, Dasher Troy, Joe Start and
Dave Orr. were raised and reared In one
Of the city's FIVE boroughs Stoneham's
idea is a great one. All the New York
lads need is encouragement. They have
the stuff.
Taking IN only players who have per-
formed In the big leagues within the last
ten years, one could line up ball club
that could knock spots out Of pretty
near anything that ever took the field.
How Is this for an all star greater
city lineup: RUDE oldring: Bronx. left
field; Matty Mcintyre, Staten Island,
centre field: Willie Keller. Brooklyn.
right field Edgar Collins. Brooklyn. utfl-
fly outfielder: Tim Jordan. Bronx. 6rst
base Joe Wagner. Bronx, second base !:
Heinie Wagner, Harlem. shortstop {;
Heinie Zimmerman. Bronx. third basS /;
Tommy Clarke, Corona; Bill Fischer.
Manhattan: Henry Beckendorf. Manhat-
tan, catchers; Dick Rudolph. Bronx !;
George Chalmers, Harlem: Leon Galore.
Brooklyn: George McQuiI1en. Brooklyn /;
Joe Lake. Brooklyn; Jimmy Ring,
Brooklyn. pitchers.
Find Another One!
Pick out at random any section Of the
country Inhabited by 100000 Of people
and see whether a ball club of that
strength could be placed on the field.
The only weakness on tho team Is
second base, where Joe Wagner. former
utility inielder of the Cincinnati Reds
and Giants. hardly measures up to big
league calibre as q hitter. But with
Zimm. Keller Jordan. Odring. Mcintyre
and Heinie Wagner humping out hits
with their old time skill one weak hitting
infelder could be tolerated.
Willie Keller is easily the greatest
player reared in New York. Keeler. Of
course. ranks with the greatest stars the
game ever has developed. II would be
hard to keep Willie out Of the outneld
Of an all star team for all time The
little Brooklynite hit over 800 for four
teen successive seasons In the National
and American leagues. and in 1897 rose
TO the remarkable figure of .432, Twice
he led the league in batting. with .4s2
In 1897 and .37s in 1898.
In q way Willie typined the great
city from which he sprang. He came
into the league with no great build like
the farm raised Johnson. Baker or Alex
snder. but what he lacked In physique
Keller moro than made up In his ability
to get there. Like many another New
York youngster In other pursuits. he
won because OF sheer grit and In spite
Of personal Limitations.
Keeler's famous remark, IT Just hit
them where they aint," classic In
baseball literature, Is wonderfully typi-
cal Of the slangy New Yorker.
- A Long Apprenticeship.
willie fooled around the local semi-pro
fields several years before he was given
a tumble. He played two years with
Binghamton, and In 1893 he was sold to
New York. Here he was too small
and was shunted over to his own bor-
ough in Brooklyn. Again wee Willie
was too small. and the next year found
.A.2 With Baltimore, where with the old
Orioles he played his 1yF eatest ball.
with the other Hanlon stars Keeler
was shifted to Brooklyn In 1899, where
he played on two pennant winners. He
Jumped to the Yankees In 1903, and re.
manned there until 1910, when he wound
up his big league career with the Giants
OF his eighteen years in the major
leagues. Keller spent thirteen OF them In
mis- own home town.
Next to Keller. Heinie Zimmerman IL
New York's greatest Heinie has made
mistakes, but In his prime he has beer
one of the games best batsmen and one
OF the greatest defensive third basemer
in baseball. He led the National League
in hitting In 1912 with an average Of
.372. the highest average compiled II
the National League In the last four
Teen years. Despite the loss Of hi
famous race TO Eddie Collins. Zimm II
his young days had a reputation as 6
Splinter.
Unlike the midget, Keller. thinner
NJ nJyi III 4