Evening star., 1923-12-09

the veteran Hooper. Johnny Mostil,
BIB" Falk and the newcoin ers-Bar-
rett and Archdeacon. Ray Schalk is
still rated as about the best catcher in
the big leagues.
1t Is only In the pitchers box that
the SoX appear weak. They did not
appear weak there last spring. but
several OF the hoxmcn had bad sea-
sons. Levcr,tte was = disappoin.-
nent SO was Ted Bl&nkenship. and
Robertson ven. none TOO well. Crban
Faber. the veteran. was the only one
who hold up" and le w:s no. quite
as good as IN 1922, Still, there are
rfttug III Hollis 'rhurston and Mike
CvNaeros. and TIC may aid the new
manager.
The Sux WI tI:;e a ut Of Lui;d:n g
or rebuilding. Chance is u builder
and likes 10 handle youngsters. He
,casuv meetings this week.
Chance was horn NJ Fresno. Calf,
on Septenber IS. 1873. He liked to
pitch, as all boys do. but became the
was the only one plucky enough to
stand the battering Oh hands and
shins.
we didn't have big mitts and shin
guards then" says Frank. our
infielders Of the present. We were
lucky to have masks. l had disre-
gard for my own feelings or any one
else's when I got into the heat Of
the game; and that's probably VIZ
I had TO become Il catcher. L never
really liked the job"
However. Frank caught SO Well
:fat hc want to a high school boys
tournament in S.u Francisco with
he Tu,ts Lyons team IF Los Angeles
II. nlay.t, Tor TWO years with Wash
:ng-on University. md il, the spring
cs 1888 re went east 20 join the Oh.
,ago team n -he iAln"l:a Natnn"l
League. lie probably vas the drSs
player 10 jump directly from 4 CO..
lege diamond to the big league.
ing out-he retired at Chicago the
year that Chance arrived the-e-the
Windy city was irving hard to re-
gain its prestige. lost to the Bsiti-
more Orioles. the Boston Bean
Long. and the New York Giants
Chicago hadn't won a pennant since
1885 She didn't get another TIL 1909,
when the American League appeared
chance to carry on didn'. win one till
1906, and Chicago won Il;
Chance found himself in 1893 on a
team OF sluggers. Big Bill LANCE,
Pete Everett, who took Ansons place
a. first base; Danny Green and Jimmy
Ryan were all hard httters, but the
team never got going because IL mad
no speed. The coast JoungSter saw
that the game had changed. mat
more Speed than even TIE Orioies mao
SHOWN was needed. inasInuch as the
pitchers were getting the ascendancy
over the battcrs with trick deliveries
and the league heads were quietly
deadeaing the ball. Frank Selee.
son and through three or four lean
years he quietly built along the lines
of speed. lie put Chance Oh hrst
base IN 1909. for. although Chance
was d big man., he was faSt ana a
seven bases The season he began
playing first base.
That move. as much as anything
else. made" the Cubs. Il put a nat
ural field leader where he could d.
rect his men every day.
The Chicago Nationals had lost al
League when the war began In
1901. Clark Griffith and Jimmy Cal
lahan. two star pitchers, deserted TO
man to patch to Chance in the
first game he ever caught in the big
leagues. April 90, 1898. 1t was against
the Louisville team and :youngstera
destined for great things played first
base TOT tnc cOloueAS' d. siic
Vile team was called. He was John
]. Wagner-the great "donus or q
later day.
Through 1903, 1904 and 1905
Chance steadily climbed. In 1900 he
won his first pennant. Selee had
been forced to retire and Chance was
his successor as manager. through
the next six years he kept his club
always In the race by skiliful trading
and careful development. He won
remnants in 1907, 1908 and 1910. and
world champion ihips in 1907 and
1905.
Copyright. I928.l
Next Sunday-George Sisler and
the Browns of 1924. :