Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-13
GLEASON USED
RAZOR STR0P
ON PLAYERS
New Manager of Chicago
White Sex is Bear in
Rough-and-T Tumble.

Chicago. ILL.,. Jan. 1s.-William
kid" Gleason. famous old time
player, whose selection to succeed
Clarence H. Rowland as manager Of
the Chicago White Sox came as a
distinct surprise, is referred to in
baseball circles as Fighting Gleason.
Not that Gleason is quarrelsome,
but few persons v e successfully inn
posed on the kid" At the age of
f1fty-three, Gleason is still capable Of
holding his own in a rough and
tumble affair with the average man
twenty years younger. And most
1918. which Gleason coached, laugh
ingly admit this.
"Gleason and his razor strop" form
ar important chapter in the 1913
spring training of the White Sox in
California. Jimmy Callahan was
manager Of the club and from Oak
land he had sent Gleason with
eighteen husky recruits and a few
veterans to Pasadena. The veteran,
an advocate Of hard work and regular
hours. carefully informed the players
that 1880 a. m. would be the signal
for showing signs Of life.
Boys, 1880 means $780," Gleason
warned before sending the players to
bed the first night in camp.
Promptly at 1880 the following
day every player in the squad was
startled from his slumbers by terrific
pounding on the bedroom doors. It
was the kid" dressed, shaved and
ready for breakfast.
Ten minutes later Gleason made the
rounds again. He peered into the first
room and found Jack Fourier, a
l,,aL1, ~n1ep,St o$i11 ,v~An~ th4 @~~r>-r
In another room he found a second
playe. stealing a few extra winks. In
deed, none of his charges had stirred
from bed.
Gleason scratched his head, then
turning abruptly, he rushed into his
own room and emerged an instant
later with a heavy leather strop.
From Fournier's room issued a wild
howl of pain. The whack Of the strop
on bare flesh recounded through the
hall. A moment later a second howl
broke from the second room, then
from the third, fourth, and SO on
down the list. All rooms had been
visited in a jiffy.
orally taken al a bit of good natured
roughness, But it did the work, as
vas proved next morning. Promptly
at 1880 Gleason began pounding on
the doors. Ten minutes later he came
u of his room with the razor strop.
But no stropping was necessary. All
players, many still rubbing their eyes,
were dressing.
Gleason from the old school
Of fighting baseball players conducted
at Baltimore. where John McGraw,
Kelly. Hugh Jennings and others
made names as members of the IA
o Orioles. Later he went to the
Giants, from there to the Philadelphia
Nationals in 1903 and 1904, then to
Detroit, back to Philadelpl@y.nd to
the White Sox in 1913 - coach.
Gleason finished his twenty odd years
as a player with the Philadelphia
club.
There always has been a bit Of mys-
terry surrounding Gleason's absence
from the White Sox last season. Even
newspaper men travelling with the
club could shed no light on it. He
seldom got around to see the players
when they visited Philadelphia.
Gleason made no mention Of the sub
ject difficulties.
With Otto Knabe. coach Of the Chi
cage Nationals, Gleason conducts a
billiard establishment in Philadelphia.
One night when the partners locked
up and started home, they were set