, 1923-07-08
PLAYERS 'RAzzED'
BY FANS USUALLY
HAVE IT COMING
Collins of White Sox an
Exception.
BY I. E. sANBoRN.

BY I. z. SANBoRN.
Baseball players agree. n the dops
Of the past and present proves IL
that a hostile attitude by the BANS
of their "home" town Affects h
playing OF most performers There
Is no such unanimity, however. re
garding the cause Of such attitude by
the public With q few notable excepr
tons the diamond stars who have been
razzed by the ans at home arc TO
blame for It. but none Of the victims
will admit It, Of course.
The great players who have not let
fame and fuisome fiattery turn their
heads but have accepted their honors
modestly and with an earnest effort
to live up to their regulations. al
most never have had to listen to .
raspberry chorus from grand stand
or bleachers either at home or on alien
grounds. Even after they have passed
their prime and commen.S~
some of their surprising skill or PROV
ess with the stick. the great mas
OF rooters respect and admire them
Ruth Gets RaIred.
But the sta who cannot stand prov
perity without swelling up and show
ing that he Is running over with con-
ceit Is bound to hes unpleasant
sounds from h stands any time he
fails to do what Is expected OF him
or he begins to slip down hill
Ruth imagined he was bigger than
organized baseball and listened to low
brow friends who advised him to try
to show up Commissioner LandisL
Ruth stu is applauded when he wal.
lops one out of bounds, but he doesn't
do 1t as often as he used to. and the
fact he was treated like any other
player BIZ lands lowered him In the
estimation of some of his worshiperp.
who now lose no opportunity to razz
him when he fails.
Latest Escapade Costly.
Bambino's latest afrront to the pub
lie, when he disappointed the n n of
New Haven by falling to appear at an
exhibition game for which he had been
advertised. did the New York club
considerable harm In that section and
cost a bunch OF money. But 1t did
Ruth greater harm. for he win hear
from It all over the country every
time he fails to make a home run
Ruth probably considers It q small
matter that he missed hat game, but
It was the way he missed It that mads
the fan sore at him. The king Of
swat was too good in his own opinion
to accompany the rest OF the Yankees
OF a railroad train to New Haven. %
SGT out in a motor car. forgetting that
the congestion of the state roads in
New England on a Sunday made It
foolish for him to attempt to drive
from Boston to New Haven In tina
for a ball game. Any player who
had the interests Of his club at heart
and knew people were going to pay
money to see him, would have accom-
panied his manager on that trip. Then
he would not have been at fault II do
layed for any reason. Ruth VI
took a chance OF missing 9 game when
lie was getting the money for barn
storming against orders
Fans Wise to Toney.
Fred Toney walked out OF a game
and declared he was going to quit
baseball again because OF the jeers OF
st. Louis ANS who resented another
demonstration of his well known
crouch toward his teammates. So Tar
as known no major league player ever
has been more concealed with less
cause for It than Fred Toney. The
fans r wise to him. Carl Mays Is
another Of the bad actors Of the game
who is beginning to get the al from
the fans now that he is on the down.
grade. Nobody ever heard anybody
jeering Mordecai Brown when he was
getting hit hard. Nobody taunts
Alexander or johnson II they lose .
game.
A proof Of the depressing effect OF
hostility from the fans on a player
n an exception to the rule that It IL
usually the players fault 10 found in
Eddie Collins. Much comment In
being spilled around the American
league circuit and elsewhere over the
remarkable work The White Sox cap
tain Is doing this year. when he was
supposed to have passed his prime
some seasons ago.
The a is that Eddie Collins
could not play his best three or four
years 6 because Of the attitude OF a
portion OF the Chicago fans. The men
on that team now known Us Black
Sox were constantly knocking their
captain among the fans of their ac-
quaintance because they could not
count him in on n Of their deals and
because he was suspicious and held
himself aloof from them.
Since tho removal OF that clique the
home fans have changed and the re-
suit has been a steady improvement
in Collins playing, with the result that
he is giving a wonderful demonstra-
ton this season. 4
MANY CHAMPIONS