The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-15

Copyright, 1923. in United States and Great Britain, Cuba, Japan and South America by North American Newspaper Alliance. AN rights reserved.)
 Hans wagner's name appears on every Al-American all-star baseball team for all time, and what the old-time star doesn't know about baseball doesn't amount ta to much br in this. m the & story Of his he knows-the skill of men and teams, and plays. the development of the Ameri- that the baseball fan of today wants to know about. He gives pointers to the youngsters and the college player and he tells the old hand where he can look for new delights by watching for fine points that most of overlook. Hans Wagner s story is more than this. however; to 1t he has brought his sound philosophy and knowledge of men, so that the diamond, as he talks of it, becomes as broad as that makes absorbing reading, he has ac- compished what many skilled writers fail to achieve; he has given a living, full length portrait of a man-himself.
 CHAPTER
 Sizing Up The Players.
 By HANS WAGNER
 When l first began to win my spurs as a young push league ball player l made it a point, as l have said to watch some good player close ly and try to initiate hlm. This, l think, would be a great help to any youngster. In trying to copy the stars fine points you will naturally discover hls weak points. That proves a double benefit.
 l used to watch the Baltimore Orioles whenever l had chance, even before l got into the big league. That was mighty tough outfit to beat. Every one of them fought to win all the time. l don't believe any one of them had thought Of how much money they were making when they got on the field. Their minds were on winning that particular ball game for their own satisfaction as well as for the public. That is what made the Orioles so famous.
 The one man particularly watched was John McGraw. l made up my mind that l wanted to be a ball player like McGraw. l may make you smile to think of me trying to copy McGraw. He was little bit Of a shaver, weighing about 14O pounds, while I Was a big gangling rellow, weighing up around lS5. Still, 1 admired the way he fought for ev- cry point.
 l don't believe there ever lived a ball player who was McGraw's equal in getting on base, whether 1t was walking. being hit by the pitcher, OdAtAAB VI AAAlSiii6 tAO val Oot' A4C was likely to do either. Anyway. he nearly always got on the base.
 McGraw never gave anybody any more of the base than he had to. He and Fred Clarke were tough birds when 1t come to taking allrt the bag to themselves and letting the other fellow shuffle around the best he could. The polite ball player of to- day often gives the base runner half of the bag to toucn. Not in those. days. You were lucky if you didn't get bumped into the outfield.
 When McGraw was writing his Thirty Years in Baseball' I noticed he didn't say anything about how tough that bunch made 1t for a fel- low trying to go round that infield on a long hit. l didn't expect him to. Honestly those fellows fought a fel- low off so hard that I have actually been stuck with a horseshoe nail in passing second.
 Nobody Wore Rubber Spikes.
 They had way of pumping run ner around so that a green man would often be thrown out on what might have been a home run. Mind you, that wasn't considered unsports- manHke. It was looked on as good baseball. It was the kind of base ball that wins, too. They were not the only ones. we all WeHI at the game pretty rough.
 l hit long drive one day at Balti- more and when l got the first-base John Doyle almost bumped me into right field, pretending that he was trying to get out of the way. Stumbl- ing to my feet went on to the sec- ond and there Jennings backed into me, pumping me into center. I kept going, though. When I started to round third McGraw snatched me by the belt. Let me tell you, that in field was tough picking.
 McGraw had another trick of catching a runner by the belt and yanking him back as he was about to score on long fly. The umpire, you see, would be watching the ball to see just when 1t was caught. At that moment McGraw, with his fingers in the runners belt, would give a jerk and stumble him 2 couple of steps, Often he would be checked just enough to get thrown out at the plate,
 Everybody hollered and wrangied d about this but the umpire could never see McGraw get In his fine work and he would get away with. 1t,