Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1921-03-03

QlQ MS pest 10 dispose OF 0iSl6E ) Gull
tract to Barney Dreyfus of the Ma
tional League Now, by a strange
freak of fate, all three Of these &C
tors in that little Ohio drama, which
conferred in the city, of Akron years
ago, are again gathered together with
one club, the st. Louis Browns, and
what is more, though shifting inter
ests might have caused enmity among
these three, they are in reality the
best Of friends.
The story of Sisters first contract
and the battle between the National
and American league for his posses
sion has been told before. There are,
however, one or two points in that
story which have frequently been
misstated. For example, Branch
Hickey, the manager Of the Cardinals
and former manager of the Browns,
has been credited with discovering
Sisler. Undoubtedly Hickey, as ath-
letic coach at the University of
Michigan, had great influence with
Sisler when the latter was an under
graduate at that institution. Doubt
less he was largely instrumental in
securing Sisters signature to a con-
tract with the Browns. But he did
not discover Sisler, and now by an
equally strange twist of fate, Branch
Hickey finds himself in the National
League, while, of course, Sisler will
always remain in the American. The
man who turned Sisler from profess
sional baseball after he had wandered
into the meshes Of a contract was
Professor Thomas of the University
of Michigan. Lee Foil, then man
ager of the Akron club, had seen Sis
Ter play and was greatly impressed
with his ability. He called up Robert
Quinn, who was then head of the Co
lumbus baseball club, and told him
Of this young phenomenon. 81 doubt,
howeer, if we can sign him for the
price we could afford to pay" said
Foil. eff he is as good as you say
he is" responded Quinn, "do not let
a few hundred dollars stand in the
way" And so George Sisler was
signed, not by Foil himself, but by
an umpire in that obscure league who
was friendly with Sisler and had
great influence over him.
So, for the matter of that, did
Professor Thomas of the University
of Michigan. AS soon as this gentle
man heard that Sisler had affixed his
signature to the fatal document, he
Immediately got il touch with the.
youngster and showed him how that
act would prevent his playing base
ball or indulging in any other form
of amateur athletics at the University
of Michigan. He also explained to
The impressionable youngster how his
extraordinary abilities would enable
him to obtain a college degree. And
the University of Michigan and
turned his back for the next three
years on professional baseball. At
college Sisler was one of the great
est pitchers and batters that ever
represented any institution of learn
ing. In fact, in the light of what has
since transpired, it would be no ex-
aggeration to claim that he was the
very greatest. And yet, all through
his college course the spectre of that
contract haunted him. Influential
friends, who saw the mistake he had
made, rose to defend him, and Tar
ney Dreyfus, who stood ready to 1ay
Columbus $4,000 for his rel Sc,
found himself baked of the best
Pittburgh prospect since Hans Wag-
ner was a cub. In baseball law
Dreyfus' claims to Sisler were doubt
less sound and the Pirate leader has
never ceased to bewail the hard fate
which robbed him of this superstar.
At st. Louis, Sisler started as
pitcher, and a good one. But his
abilities as fielder and batter were
too conspicuous. Like Babe Ruth,
he was too good player to be a