, 1923-05-27
PAUL SENTELLE
SACRIFICES LIFE
FOR BASEBALL
Showed Great Courage
and Loyalty.
BY I. z. SANBoRN.

They might not play 1000 consecu-
tive games, but more ball players.
would get closer to Everett Scott's REQ
ord II they possessed the courage and
loyalty Of the average major league
umpire.
How many star athletes are there
today who wouid 90 out md m their
positions while suffering from an at
tack OF Appendicitis SO severe that 1t
proved fatal. as Paul Senteile Of the
National league did recently?
There vas no demand that Senterle
sacrifice his life for the good OF base
ball. Undoubtedly he did not know he
was rlsking 1t by sticking to his job
Certainly President Heydler would
have forbidden him to do so II he had
known the circumstances or foreseen
the result The point is not whether
Umpire Sentelle was wise or foolish in
refusing to quit when he was nigh unto
death. Tho point is that he did il
rather than leave his a~rbitratfng part
nor TO work alone or summon omer-
Eency help from league headquarters.
Any Of you readers who has suffered
from even a mild attack OF appendi-
cius know what hat means. And in
a case like SenteIle's It meant days OF
acute suffering before he finally sue
cumbed.
Should Not Rhk Life.
Nobody expects a ball player. star
or recruit. to risk his life to MI his
position or even to win a game, no
matter how crucial" Tho club own
er and manager would be among the
nrst to forbid C loyalty to ones
team. But how many players Of this
day arc there who will not mako any
slight ailment or advancement of
their system ar xcu for laying ofry
There are a few of them. and Everett
Scott Is one of them. or he never would
have passed h ten century mark in
consecutive games played. In my re-
cent years OF travelling with major
league outfits scarcely a week passed
that some athlete did not report to tho
manager. or word by the trainer.
that he was suffering from cramps"
and would be unable to play that day.
BY comparison with acute appendi-
citls cramps resembles a pin prick.
Todny the average player thinks FIRST
OF himself and after that OF his teams
chances in n pennant campaign II
not in topnotch condition he realizes
that his own individual record is likely
to suffer. especially his batting aver
age, II he Is not feeling perfectly at.
To be sure. the great quantity OF sur
plus material carried by major league
teams encourages the layoff habit, be-
cause there always Is n man on the
bench TO fill almost n possible va
cancy. But the absence of n regular
often means the difference between
victory and defeat in n close battle.
Even n tho rprtIlar xrarn 100 -
his best, that would not occasion SO
much on tho part OF his
teammates Us the presence OF a new
coz.
Not 80 many years ago minor all
ments did not furnish so many aiibiz
Tor not appearing In uniform Less
tina twenty years ago Jimmy Gala
han played an entire Chicago city So
ries with n broken bone in his wrist
because the only available man to tax
his place was barred by the fact he
was not eligible to a post season con-
test. 1t would a been possible, %
course. to play n pitcher in CallahanT
place n that is probably what would
have happened under the same cir.
cumstances today.
Gleason Played with RIBS Broken.
Before that substitutes were even
scarcer n KID Gleason once played
second base through an extra inning
game with we broken ribs. At the
Kid request tho physician who fixed
up his stats strapped him with ad-
hesive tape so hat It did not hurt
Imuehl to bat or run. and. as II was
his left side that was injured, he still
could throw by grttting his teeth every
time. At that Gleason played against
his managers orders. for when the
Kid reached the bail park a raw re-
eruit was taking his place in the pre-.
liminary practice.
Without approaching the bench GIea.
son went oil TO second base and told
tho youngster to get of the diamond
under threat Of a beating II he didn't.
Back on the bench the recruit com.
planned to the manager.
Il thought you said I was going To
play second today. Why don't you call
Gleason in?"
"You were out there" replied the
manager WIN didn't vou hand hin,