The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-12-13
CHAPTER 3
] Ask For $40 A Month-And Change
My Mind.
by HANS WAGNER

BY HANS WAGNER
My baseball career really began at
the age of IA. Even at that age l
could hit the ball. For that reason 1
was allowed to play on the town
team with boys of IS and 49, My
natural love for the game probably
kept me from being very good
barber.
I belonged to one of those fam
lilies where the boys are supposed to
learn trade and make their own
living. My brother had barber shop
in Mansfield. which later became
Carnegie, and l went to work for
him as an apprentice. My job was to
keep things Strengthened up, dust off
the customers and run errands. On
Saturday afternoon and night / was
allowed to do a little shaving. Many
big miner has suffered at my
hands. There weren't many tips in
those days.
The only thing in the way of a
great barber future for me was my
desire to play baseball. 1 played on
the town team and you can bet I
never allowed plain or fancy barber
ing to interfere much with my pitch
ing. Yes, 1 started out as a pitcher.
Most ball players do, I find. Mike
Donlin and Cy Seymour, you know,
started out as pitchers. Every Sat
urday afternoon the boys used to
shop and tip me off that a game was
on. l would Immediately duck the
job. That night. though, l would
come back and finish up at the shop.
My brother didn't like this bit.
He used to tell me that I'd have
to stop so much ball playing or /
would never make ii good barber. L
guess he was right. He fired me sew
eral times, but. of course, when we
got home and talked 1T over with my
dad he would take me back. There
had to come break.
One afternoon / was given the job
of shaving an old miner who had a
beard like shoebrush. He didn't
care who shaved him. went to
work On him and got him all lathered
up and ready. I had just shaved
down one side and around his chin
when ore of the gang whlstled out
side. 1 snealed out.
VIA Shaved The other Haiff
You got to pitch great game to-
day." one of the boys told me. IF
we win We're all going to get new
uniforms on en-" fr
forgot all about my miner sit
ting in the chair, half shaved and
asleep. l never went back. My
career as a barber was ended.
Il can stand for just so much" my
brother told me that night, land no
more. You are through as a barber"
was ticxled over that. l knew
could get a job in the mines work
ing on the trap door for my dad
This is no place to explain mining,
but any man in the hard or soft coal
fields knows what a trap door boy
is. Anyway, I worked at that awhile,
playing baseball in between time.
John S. Robb, Jr, now prominent
citizen of Pittsburg, was captain of
4
regular job. We played in what was
the Allegheny County league, made
up of Mansfield, Bridgeville, Taren-
tum and the Our Boys club of Pitts
burg. The players were mostly
amateurs. Shad Civilian was man
ager.
started playing shortstop then
and got S. week. for two games.
played around that way, doing the
best l could between working in the
mines and playing baseball, for two
or three years-just like other boys
might do
And right here is a good chance
for me to answer a question as to my
opinion on the relative merit of ball
players in those days and now. You
will notice that l had been pitcher
and catcher before l was. 16.
There are just as great ball players
now as there ever were. l don't be-
l1eNe, though, tndI lnere are as many
good ones in proportion to the num-
Der playing. The reason for that is
that ball playing has become highly
specialized just as the medical and
dental professions have. In Those
days. for instance, ball player could
play most any position. / have
played every position on ball club
professionally.
O O O
No Pinch Hitters Then.
In those days we had never heard
of a special batter to hit right
handed pitching and another to hit
1eft-handers. The pinch hitter was
not known then. If the man whose
time it was at bat couldn't deliver
the necessary pinch hit we simply let
1t go at that. We had no substitutes