The Washington times., 1920-01-14
By FREDERICK G. LIEB.


The Boston Red Sox were in bad
straits for outfelders. The cham
pions of 1908 and 1904 went to
smash in 1906, when Boston lost 20
straight games and finished last, a
drop from the cellar to last in two
years.
In 1907 Jim Mcclure, tie veteran
catcher, tried his hand at managing
the club and tried out talent by the
wholesale. Especially did he expert
ment with outfielders, as the out
fielders of the 1908 and 1904 cham
pions-"Chick" Stahl and Pat
Dougherty, Al Selbsch and Buck"
Freeman-all had departed. The
former committed suicide in the
training camp that spring while
acting as manager of the club.
During the fall OF 1907 the follow
ing item appeared in sporting
wekely: 1.-TWO Texas League play.
ers. Outfielder Speaker and Outf1elder
George Whiteman, last week Joined
the Bostons. They are Scout HUNS
selections, and are said to look good"
Illus was ilis CpVoh'l, SNN
fielder and manager of the Cleveland
Indians. introduced to big league fan
dom. He was said to look good, yet
despite Boston's need of outfelders
the Texan cowboy was unable to sling
on with the Red SoX until he took
another trip back to the minors.
He Set No Records.
Unlike some OF the other great stars
90 H.. lid tho
world on FIRE right from the outset Of
his baseball career.
In his first game in a Red Sox uni
form he opposed little Jimmy Dygert,
the Athletic spitballer. and failed to
get a hit. However, iris did not get
into the game until the sixth inning.
when he batted for Outfelder Bill
Congalton. and then played right field
for the rest OF the game. Like Pat
Moran. the manager OF the worlds
champion Reds, the Cleveland pilot
broke into the big leagues as a right
| fielder for a Boston club.
Jimmy Dygert's spitball evidently
was working quite mysteriously on
| the day that Speaker broke in, for
| he struck out eleven men.
| The following paragraph tells the
! story of Speakers fTst major league
game. played in Philadelphia on Sep
| tember L.. 1907: "DyEert held Boston
| to four hits, two OF them by Knight,
and struck out eleven men. Tho Ath-
lletics won easily, I to ]. Pruitt :
wildness and ineffcctivcncss yielded
| nye runs in three innings. Elmer
steele. the Lynn recruit, pitched out
the game, holding tho Athletics to
three hits and one run. He struck
out six men. Speaker. a Texas League
recruit, supplanted Congalton in the
| sixth
BattIIng for Leadership.
The Athletics at the time were in
| tho thick of the American League
| fight and were fighting tooth and nail
to retain the lead against the on
slaughts of the Detroit Tigers. The
contest was played a little over twelve
wears ago, yet every player in that
game with the exception OF iris
sneaker long since faded from the
big league screen. Harry Davis, the
| Athletic first baseman OF that day,
returned to the Eams last fall as as
! sIstant to Mack in philadelphia. but
| he hasn't played any ball since l9ll.
How little one can tell from first
Impressions! Elmer steele, the pitch
| ing recruit, looked like a sure conner
| in that game. while Speakers play
was not impressive. Yet aiter oup .
bling around both leagues for several
wears steele dropped out again while
Speaker blossomed into tho greatest
outCieIder the game mas ever known
Speaker found hits pretty hard TO
get back there In the fall of 1907. He
had TO wait until his fourth big league
game before he experienced the
pleasant sensation of hearing a real
bit ring from his bat. On september
II. 1907. he made his first big league
hit a single off Long Tom" Hughes
OF tho Washington club.
Wa. A SOFT pick-Jp.
Sneaker was n soft pickup for the
Ecstun club. Hufs. tho Rcd ScN
srout, purchased him from the HoIs.
ton club for only 500. which was
1900 lcss than cobb cost Detroit
iris originally started down In .he
Lone star circuit as a pitcher, but
didn't amount 20 much IN that 1o.
partmont and shifted 10 the outfieid