The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-12-28

nI am lacking IN q sense OF nun
see the comical side of baseball
somebody else.
/ know what It is, though, to take
q ball season as g. joy ride and
look upon It as summers vaca-
ton. That is the trap fell into
q few months after / had earned
myself q regular place on the
Augusta team in the South Atlantic
League.
On our club we had some great
individual players. men who after.
ward became famous, but collec-
lively they went about the country
at first like q picnic party.
George Leidy, the old minor
league manager, brought US out OF
that after he had succeeded Andy
Roth as manager.
We were playing Savannah, Ga.
None OF ms had been taking things
seriously. Was is years old
with al the spirit and tendencies
Of q boy Of that age. was
making what was then considered
q good salary and baseball began
20 look 80 me like one o. the
greatest lariks In the world.
This day in Savannah we had
stopped the popcorn boy and several
Of us sat on the bench munching
at those big cakes Of popcorn
craclerjack. I went out to center
field carrying the popcorn in my
hand I know now how bad It
must have looked, but nobody said
anything to me at the time.
was standing In my position
munching away and making light
remarks to the other players when
e high fly ball was hit directly
toward me. don't know what
possessed me that day. but didn't
want to drop that popcorn. Neither
did I want to miss that fly ball.
was afraid Il didn't throw the
popcorn away might miss the
BAH and / also felt that II /
caught the ball I would lose my
popcorn. In q feeling Of bOyish
bravado then tried to see Il ]
couldn't hold on the cracker5ack
and still catch the bali
Well, you can easily imagine what
happened. I lost both.
The missing Of that fly ball had
some effect on the game. too.
When I came back to- the bench
knew that Leidy's eye was boring
into me.
':That was a foolish thing TO
do, he said to me In that high
pitched drawl. Don't ever do
that again.
Later he took me off privately
and gave me lecture that would
be valuable to any body In any
walk of life.
.Son," he said, "if you expect
20 get anywhere you have got 90
take your business seriously. The
game Of baseball Is too big q
thing to be considered that way.
IL all the players went at 1t In
that spirit the game would be.
come . joke and would die out
IN q few years.
did You ever stop to think he
went on. what baseball does for
many a young man who would
never have any chance otherwise
about the country. You have had
the advantage Of early education,
but most OF the players have not.
BY studying their profession and
making a, success of 1t they can
get an education that way. Besides,
Il isn't fair to your employer or
to yourself to make q hippodrome
out of baseball. I don't care what
kind of skylarking you do outside.
But when you get on that ball field
I want you to work at 1t and study
every angle with just as much
seriousness as IL the welfare OF
the country depended upon It.
You've got a lot to learn and you've
got great possibilities. know you
don't want to be a failure
Every word Of this from the
kindly old fellow burned into me.
T knew he was right. / admitted
the truth OF his words and prom.
ised him that I would never do
such a thing again. And certain.
" have kept that promise. His
words cured me. Many young Eel
ows have been failures simply be-
cause they did not have a George
Eeidy to straighten them out.
After I got into the big league /
heard Hughey Jennings say one day
that the success Of himself and
John McGraw and Willie 1eeler
was due entirely to the mental con-
eentration and physical work they
put into the study of their business
InDy uSCu W 30 OaAs anu W.T.
for hours to correct some mistake
they had made the day before:
They did 10 in hours thai the rest
Of the club was resting. Any Job
that Ii worth doing Ii worth do
ing right. and they were quick 70
see that.
The profession Of baseball offers
10 MANY Young fellows an oppor
lunity that they never have in any
other line In the first place. nj
education Is required. BY becom
ing proficient they can earn just al
big salaries as men who have spen
years going through college. They
are enabled 10 get about the countr.
md study the ways OF people. The,
become brtA oned, and in time picl
ap by observation the education
hat was neglected in their youth
y is n thing well worth striving
scr.
- - LeIdy and othaEs appre