Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-04-02
College Graduates
On The Ball Field
Hard to Figure Out What
1t Can Do Them
my United Press)


have been the cause of many ar
guments. Opinions are more or
less equally divided. Mathewson,
Eddie Collins, George Sisler and
Frank Frisch are held up. as eX-
ampIes of what professional base
ball will do for q college man, but
there are hundred examples
Just rs good of what it will not do
Commissioner Lands is paid
for having the biggest opinion IN
baseball. When he was asked
once what ne would recommend
10 a boy OF his. if the lad wanted
to take up professional baseball,
he preferred not to answer.
The best of many opinions on
the subject was given recently
by Carl Lundgren, the highly sue
cessful baseball coach of the Uni
versity of Illinois. His opinion
should be worth something. He is
a college man himself, q success
full big league pitcher. With the
Cubs he was a member OF team
that won three National League
pennants and two worlds champ
ionships.
81 would not advise any college
athlete to go into a professional
baseball, unless he is of big
league caliber," Lundgren says.
"a man of only ordinary ability
would be wasting his time by
entering the minor leagues. But
if a man does decide to enter the
big leagues, he should always
keep in mind the profession he
has chosen for life-the work
that he will do offseaSon and con
tinue when his baseball days are
over. The national game is a
good one in which to accumulate
funds to start a business of an
other nature. Some men have
made their forums solely by play
ing baseball. But these are the
big stars of the diamond"
That sounds like practical adj
vice and it is heavy.
The very few graduates of the
"Big Three" who have gone into
professional baseball have al
ways been used as an argument
by those who believe it is mis-
take to waste years developing
profession that has to be aban-
dOned before the prime of life is
reached.
Eddie Grant. who died in the
Argonne forest, is the only con-
Spicuous success Of Harvard men
who have gone into the major
leagues. "Jocko' Conlon. star
catcher of the Crimson 1922 nine,
is now with the Boston Braves.
John McGraw has the other
two big Three" representatives
with his New York Giants-Wad-
dy McPhe, from Princeton, and
Jim Herman, Yale catcher. l, a
MeGraw seems to be going in
more and more for college play
ers. In his memoirs he says he
prefers the college boy, because
he tries to correct his mistakes,
whereas others are prone to cover
them up.
When Phil Douglas Shuffled
out of the game last summer and
after Fred Toney had been re-
leased, McGrsw said he was
through with eccentricS and that
his experiences with Waddell and
some Of the others had not been
worth the time and the worry
wasted on them.
frankie Frisch stepped from
the baseball field at Fordham into
a job with the New York Giants
that pays him S12,500 q year. Ed
dice Collins has been drawing
$4,000 for years and George Sis
Ter must be getting close TO S20,-
900. Starting from scratch out of
college, it would have taken them
wits just as much genius as they
have shown on the field at least
FIVE years to get within that sal
airy. Along the lines of Lund-
gren's argument they nave have
enough piled back when they quit
to be independent for the rest
of their days.
Such salaries are anything but
common in baseball. The major
ity of the players work for about
$1,000 a year.
Columbus would like to have
the new Ohio State stadium
used for the next Olympic games
No better spot is available than
the Ohio city and certainly nc
finer arena could be provided
but it is doubtful if the United
States will get to see the Olympic
games for at least twelve years
and in twelve years they may
be talking about the "little Ohio
stadium" ....,~.-.