The Washington times., 1920-01-21
HONUS WAGNER STARTED
AGAINST CAPITAL CLUB
By FREDERICK G. LIEB.

"The Louisville Club has purchas-
ed third baseman Hans Wagner off
Paterson for a price not stated, and
pitcher Pete Bowling from Padu-
cab, in exchange for 5000 and
pitcher Jones. 1t is to be hoped that
Louisville didn't throw away very
much money on the Wagner deal, as
times are hard, and Wagner won't
set the league-world afire as a third
baseman. He is a better outfielder
than infielder."
This precious gem was extracted
| from a baseball weekly of the vint-
age OF 1897. Rash Barney Dreyfuss.
| To throw away money like that! Civ
! ing 5000 and Pitcher Jones to Padu-
cab for Pitcher Bowling was eXcusa-
| BILE. but when he gave real money to
| Paterson for this awkward. cumber-
some Paterson infielder, why some-
thing was wrong with Barney's head,
or he was developing into a philan-
thropist.
And it was all Harry Pulliams do
| ings, too. Harry then was secretary
and business manager OF Dreyfuss
Louisville National League Club. and
after taking a scouting trip over to
| the Jersey town he asked Ed Barrow
manager of the Paterson team, what
| he would take for the big Dutchmsp
| Barrow's price was n little. high for.
| those days, but Pulliam had seen
Wagner knock out a flock of doubles
and triples that afternoon, and he had
to outbid the Pittsburgh club for the
player.
Refused 500 for Him.
So that night Pulliam sent a wire TO
Dreyfuss from New York; Have
closed with Paterson for wagner for
S2,l00. He will report TO Clarke in
Louisville Immediately
Impetuous young kentuckian was
| that Pulliam. Was there no limit to
the way he would spend mans
money? This was n fine Kettle OF
| fsh.
Pulliam actually watched Wagner
play four DAYS in Paterson. Pitts
burgh also was hot after the player,
and tho Pirate bid way SyvoO. Pull
liam raised the ante s100 and Pitts
burg refused to let go for the player,
so Barrow sold him to Louisville
| Was Il fate that eventually brought
Wagner TO Pittsburgh three years
later, after an earlier ownership lost
him by refusal to meet a 500 raise?
And so II came to pass that on July
I1p, 1897, the name OF Hans wagner
appeared for the first time In major
| league box score. In Louisville they
| paid heed to the criticism that Wag.
ner was n better outhlder than nm In
| fielder, so the big fellow was intro
duced to fandom as a center fielder.
Opened Against senators.
Louisville played Washington on
this historic baseball afternoon. Both
clubs were secoLd division outfits In
the old twelve-club National League.
The Louisville club that wagner
| Joined was one "bird" of an outit. In
] Ave years Il never got above eleventh.
| II was eleventh in 1898 and twelfth
in 1894, 1926 and 1895, and climbed
back to eleventh I'm 1897. the year
| Wagner Joined the club.
1t, therefore, isr.'t surprising that
the crowd which saw Wagner break
into the big leagues wasn't'as big as
a Louisville street night might have
| drawn. And Is II any wonder that
| Dreyfuss, with his anemic gate re-
| reipts. should be admonished for
throwing money away In these hard
| times?'
The following dispatch from Louis
willie on July 10. 1897, proclaimed to
the world that new star had ap'
peared In the baseball Armament:
| The Louisvilles won the game from
washILgton here today In the nrst