The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-13

Believe me there Is one guy in
this baseball fraternity who IN with
out honor In hls own country. lie
Is the baseball scovt.
The trouble with the publicity end
of our national pastime is that we
hear all about the McGraws. tho Tris
Speakers the Pat Muraus, and all
the managers, from Pop Anson to
the bird who can win pcnnant in
ST. Louis. because there are % million
typewritcrs in this star-spanglod
land Of home runs humping out a
widespread appreciation of the man
ayers constructive ability at build
ing baseball clubs; but uhi the poor
fish who discovers their players and
really constructs their luN clubs!
Ml he gets is a paragraph In the
Wichita Eagle or Fort Worth Rec
ord, which reads:
william Whuzt. scout for the
Chicago cubs. sat Ia the graudstand
during yesterdays game. 1t is
rumorcd he IN sweet on Billy Bustcm.
our hard-hitting second baseman.
That doesn't ten you much, even
N you happen to be a reader OF the
Wichita Eagle or Fort Worth Rec
ord, and manage TO dig this start
ling informatiou out Of an obscure
corner OF tho sporting notes below
the box score. II doesn't tell you
that Mhozit has been riding on buck
boards through miles Of Texas mud,
missing his night connections az
water tanks on unc-a-day railroads,
Frightening his existence with a
meal OF corn pone and huminy with
the cotton piCkers In Alabama, then
losing himself in the alligator
swamps OF Louisiana, sweating his
d. a o. HtVas. Nf.
death in Missoula, Mont, 90 look
over a lot Of perfectly good plauta-
ton hands and select thogofrum the
future Christy Mathcwsons and Tris
Speakers and Eddie CollinsCs who
will blaze the name OF some baseball
manager over the world,
Behind the Scenes.
Yet back OF the construction OF all
our great baseball ewhere
behind the scenes; hiding In an OBJ
ecure hole among the set rocks and
canvas mountains and other props
that clutter up the stage back OF the
last DROPS the scout, who ought
to be getting a lot OF the credit. The
best he gets rs the worst OF 81.
Anybody knows star ball player
after he gets TO hitting 800 In tho
big league, or pitching shutout
games with disgusting regularity.
just "a all the natives knew there
was a wet spell coming when the
only land IN sight was. the top Of
Mount Ararat, but what about the
gang who stood around and leaned
against the fences and kidded Noah
when he started to build the ark?
For it's far In advance the base
ball scout has to work. lie has to
set what is going to be, not what is
And then in the majority OF cases
they won't Nbelieve him unless the
sky is covered with rain clouds.
Il was along in January 1915
when the president and principal
owner OF a National league baseball
club was holding n star chamber
session with his newly appointed
manager, the subject under discus
sion being the chances Of the team
| In the approaching pennant race.
"I've gotta have a shurtstop,' Ih'
manager declared. II figger wei
have the hittin' an the pitchin', an
the team looks as good as any on th'
defenG except at that one position
but no ball club ever made any kind
OF shown without a star around
the middle OF that infield. I've gotta
have a shortstop!"
The scout was called into the con.
ference and ne mentioned the name
OF a minor league player.
"lf that fellow was any good,
ventured the smanager, "Clevelanc
would have grabbed him. They hac