Evening star., 1923-12-31
CHAPTER Il
There Was Teamwork in
Those Days.
BY HANS WAGNER,

the Pirates of .lo01-M-03, the
Giants of 1905 and the Cubs. If :
you have followed base ball
closely you probably have noticed
that no real sentiment of great
ness has been thrown around
club since the Frank Chance Cubs
finally petered out.
That means to me that team
work has lost prestige in the face
of individual greatness of GER
tain players. There is mighty
good reason for this.
In a previous article / showed
where base ball has developed Won
derfully despite what the oId-timers
say. In that very development the
game has grown into such q great
business that a certain group of
payers, working as a machine, can
not stand out for a long time. The
clubs are so much larger that the
same men do not work together as
often.
In the oiG days we were sometimes
lucky enough 10 get together ten or
twelve men, who made a wonderful
machine and stuck together. They
had their heart set on winning, and
they overcame many difficulties that
bail players today do not face. In
other words, the machines do not
have to be as perfect and compact
now.
1t has been but a few years that
ball clubs have had trainers, rubbers,
club doctors and all that. In our days
it was largely up to each player to
take care OF himself. We sometimes
hnl Sap
rundown or massage. We were
allowed to eat and train as we
pleased, and 1t was up to each man
to make the best of it. To beat the
game was more OF an Individual 1oo.
1t may sound funny for me to say
it, but / agree with men like Ed
Barrow, John McGraw, Billy Murray,
George Stallings and many others
who think that base ball has devei-
oped entirely too much of what Is
called gentlemanly sportsmansnnip.
That alone has changed base ball a
lot.
No Pink Teas Then.
In the old days. for instance, the
PLAYERS did not meet at the plate
and shake hands, and then talk about
social affairs. They were up there 10
fight to win, and all friendship
ceased the minute We got on the dia-
mond. We looked upon all members
of the opposition as enemies. and
/, knew they would take advantage Oh
us at the slightest opportunity. any
kind of a trick was considered Iegltl-
mate. There was none or ina. pieas
ant visiting to and from the two
benches. If player came around
our bench a few years ago the pest
he got was raZZing. 49,. A..
AS matter of fact, l think the
public likes that fighting spirit. THAT
sportsmanship is all right in foot
10 hut N
SPECTATORS want to see scrap. IneS
want to think that the two teams
have it in for each other, ana VIII
give no quarter.
| The tendency toward sportsfnafsnlp !
has made players broader minded
| They look upon a ball game as mere
| ly an afternoons sport In our DAYS
! to give quarter or cede the sIghte
| point was like giving up our ne
! blood. That is why the teams nave
| lost their compactness.
4 know it is high minded and gen.
| erous for players to be consideraie OF
| each other, but, to save my ire
can't look on it as old-tasnloheu
| scrapping base ball. we useo u
! fight right on through with crippled
: legs. spike wounds and everything
RATHER than get out of the game
! Nowadays ball players are protecteo
! and cared for as If they were NOT
, house plants. aosnar,
! I'VE seen ball players take despeITd, s
ate chances in my day that Wouic
not be dreamed of now. Take franh
Rowerman. the old Giant catcher, foI
instance. He was ball player Wnc
could take more physical punishment
than any man S ever ssd saw yo,,sa sa'ofsf off him him
like water off a ducks back.
one day at the old Exposition ParK
in Pittsburgh when the Pirates ano
Giants were fighting for the cnam-
pionship back in 1905 and l9uo, .
foul fiy was hit near the Pittsburgh
bench. Bowerman, who was catching
ran right into the Pirate bench ano
hit a AKA upright that held up one
end of the roof of the bench; ne
struck with such force tint ne proks
up this big piece OF timber ahe
caught that foul ball! What's more
! he never let on that the bump hao
/ even hurt him.
Rowerman Butts q Barrel.
During another game in that same
park the crowd had overfioWed anc
, was lined up around the plate anc
down the foul lines. some one liae
| brought out barrel for a woman
Spectator to sit on. She was sitting
there enjoying the game when an.
other foul fly was hit. BowermaI
started for II and ran slap into t tnt
ting the woman. Evidently he hat
not see her at all. He was so sore a.
missing the foul that he kicked th'
| big barrel about ten feet.
| "Hey. Frank" Matty, VINO wa
pitching, yelled to him. keep you'
He couldn't make Bowerman un'
derstand. so Matty left the box, walk
ed through the crowd, Strengthened
up the barrel and lifted the woman
on it. Then the game went on.
+, Bowerman never thought of get
! ting hurt. Bouncing a ball on mn
was like hitting an iron safe. ~
! would start for a bunt the instant NJ
saw the batter make a move as L
ball would hit him on the leg or tht
bare hands and often he would ruI
right into the bat. Even that did no
| feaze him. His sole idea was 70 ge
| the jump on the bunted ball. OIteI
| he would make plays that otherwise
| would have given the pltcner anu 'h'
| third baseman trouble.
Rowerman also would take danger
Gus chances in touching pase run
ners coming into the plate. Ht
| would slide into them heao mls
whether they were coming in spike:
first or not. have had several marc
collisions with him. But never saw
| him badly hurt. At any rate ne never
would let on. A.. ~,
Frank used to run over the paes
into the dugouts, into the STANDS ol
anywhere to get a foul ball. l Otter
have wondered why he. never go
killed. But he is just as healthy ane
strong as ever. Bowernan taS. :,
big dairy farm up in Michigan touay
They say he is almost white-halrea "a
| but is just as hard and rough physi'
cally as ever.
Youngsters Nursed Now.
Another thing that has tended tt
| weaken the several teams as ma
chimes is the fact that it is mucf
easier for youngsters to break II
now. In the early days we did no
carry SO many men, and each mem
/ ber OF the team fought to hold nj:
| Job against all corners. A youngstel
had to be bearcat to displace som'