The Washington times., 1922-12-29
BY FRANK L. CHANCE.

oOSioN, Dec. 29.-Starting out
IN 1904. Frank Selee finallyp er-
suaoed me to try playing first. /
wasn't willing, but we needed some
Dooy there. Killing was a good
enough catcher for any mans club,
so finally consented. 1 made an
agreement that IL the base didn't
suit me I could quit It.
BUT after few weeks was used
TO It and began to, like 1t. In the
nrst place, l wasn't getting hurt
AL the time. In the second, there
was lot more action down around
there. none Of the monotony Of
crouching back of the plate.
Prior to that season I had been
On the bag just once. Back in '99
I was chased thre in an emergency.
On almost the first play Of the
game a ball was hit down at Barry
Mccormick on third. Barry is UNI
pirfng now, but he was quite a third
sacker in those days.
. ! watched the grounder go bobbing
60Wn to him, without ever moving
Gom my tracks. never had a
thought of getting over to the base.
OF course, the runner reached first
safely and the razzing I got from
the gang probably had a lot to do
With my aversion to going there
Afterwards.
First base is a hard place on the
tAgD Of any player as big as I was.
! weighed 1876 then. But I never had
charlie horse" came into the pic
ture. And I was always very active
bn the bases. too.
That year I was virtually manager
bf the club. The previous spring,
eelee, taking the club out on exhibit
tion games, ran into q lot Of cold
weather. His lungs never were
strong, anyway. He developed pneu-
monia and thereafter was physically
unable to stand the strain of manag
ing a ball club. He had named me
captain that year. and with that job
went most Of the managerial duties.
I have always had the notion
that had Selee called off our exhi.
bitions in that chilly spring, he
might, have been saved to the game
much longer. But he was one OF
tho old school managers who
thought It his bOunden duty to get
oil the money possible for the ball
club, and he made his athletes
:;S;s. Ink whenever it was at all pos
I might state right here that my
system is entirely opposed to too
much exhibitioning. Unless there
was a lot Of money in 1t, I never
permitted my team to work on bad
days. or play on fields that were al
most sure to do somebody harm.
And I don't believe in chasing
your stars out on those jaunts,
han In, tho
ular campaign, and it's suicidal to
take even the slightest chance Of
running them. But Selee had other
ideas. and following them out really
brought on the sickness that re-
moved a great genius from base.
ball.
For Selee was a wonderful man.
ager.' He knew baseball and he
knew human nature. He could spot
q ball player in the rough as well
as any man that ever lived, and he
could get every last possible bit
out of his men. Working under
him, and acting on his advice as his
health began to fail. I had a won.
derful training for the later years.
Frank was in bed practically all
through the early part OF 1904. l
had complete control on the field,
and even trading was left entirely
to me. 1t was in August OF that
year that Jim Hart sold the Chi
cago team to Charlie Murphy, the
reporter who was to make himself
q millionaire in short order.
Murphy asked Jim's advice
regarding q manager. Tor Dy that
time dread tuberculosis had its
oAyiQaA him
70 sign me as / had been hand.
ling the club for couple Of years
anyway, 1 knew the players, and
was meeting with steady success.
So Charlie did that and / BIOS
somed forth rs q real manager.
Didn't seem strange to me.
though. Selee hadn't been able to
think of baseball for three months,
and I had put through a couple Of
deals myself that looked pretty
rood to me. I had secured Three
Finger Brown and Orvie Overall,
two of the greatest pitchers that
ever stepped on the diamond. This
wonderful pair deserve plenty Of
the credit that goes with Cub
triumphs while they were in their
prime. II
Brownie came from the 81. LOUIS
Cardinals. He was young fellow
then, inclined to be wild. and the
Cards wanted an experienced
Finger. Jack Taylor was going
great at the time. but he wasn't
getting any younger, and from what
/ saw of Brown, 1 believed he
would help any club. So I offered
Taylor, and when that didn't brig
Immediate action, tossed in a third
string catcher.
That olinched the argument, as
st. Louis was bit wounded behind
the bat and looking for help there.
They figured they were being
.~on1fbepad In fwo spots hy