The Washington times., 1926-01-13


those hard knocks. In those
fight his way past almost inst
that the fans never see-to get
was, in other words, a survival
That is why l am convinced thai
there were more real ballplayers
In proportion to the number en-
gagged than there are today. The
game has improved and is on
broader scale, but the individual
ability has not improved. There
are more good ballplagers now
simply because there are more work.
ing at the job.
do not propose to defend my
self against the charge OF being q
belligerent, nagging Dallplayer.
simply nagged back when they
nagged me. My own belligerency
was merely a defense against bel
iigerency. / never did and never do
intend to take the worst of It in
open competition unless / have to,
II that kind of spirit is repre-
hensible then / am guilty.
The first thing that confronted
q young ballplayer back in. 1903 was
the fact admitted frankly on the
hench that his success meant knock
ing some other fellow out of a
lob. The friends of the other fellow
his teammates-do not like TO see
him ousted by a young stranger
on every team there was one or
more of these young strangers, ana
what they were up against can be
apprecia ted.
There was not then the general
desire. among the players, to see
and help q new player develop
simply because IL hurt the chances
~ SOME veteran. Nowadays ans
GOOD man can be taken care OF
without costing others q job.
Those rough days of hazing are
gone Baseball has grown too big
TO have patience with It. As re-
suit the BAH player OF today is more
o.. young business man. He en-
tiers the game with everybody reach
ing out to help him. His success
makes him a business asset TO
owners and PLAYERS. He Is not
heckled and roughly treated BY mis-
teammates. The new PLAYER OF To-
day comes in at good salary,
plays MS game anu eoA OsASDS
like as any other successful young
fellow.
BY not having to go through the
grind. the hard knocks. these new
PLAYERS. as rule have not the
ground work and tenacity of such
men as Walter Johnson, Clarke
Griffith, John McGraw, Eddie Col
Inns, Tuck Turner, Napoleon Liable
or any of that school.
Many a boy with natural ability
lost HIS opportunity in. those early
days because his teammates made
II too hard for him.
When / joined the Detroit club
and signed for 81 500 year !
thought 1 had done big thing.
That seemed like considerable
money. / was particularly elatcd
because, at that time, it was rare
that a player who had not been
IN the Glass A or Class minors
was accepted in the big league.
As 1 have said before got i'm
& game right away and made a
twO-base hit off Jack Cheshire as
a starter. I kept right on hitting
pretty well. My fielding was said
60 be acceptable. Then my trou.
bles started.
The situation was this: Davy
Jones had just come in with a big
reputation and was sure of his job.
Sam era wford was certainly sure
of his. Mcintyre had been playing
regularly and 1t looked as IL the
matter Of a regular job was be-
tween Mcintyre and himself. Nc
Jntyre, poor fellow, is dead now
] do not blame him personally any
more than would blame others.
II was simply a system OF which
he was part
Seeing the possibility of me MAX
ing good the regular players, friends
and pals of Matty Mcintyre natural
~ resented it. They couldn't
understand that there was room
for us both.
AS result Of this feeling arose
against me. Many OF the PLAYERS
would not extend me a helping
hApd. What is more they set about
10 haze me and make it generally
unpleasant. It was worse than the
hazing at college because it lasted
longer. had never understood
rough kidding. had never heard
some Of the language used on a
big league bench. At first it actual
~ shocked me. 1t was unbelievable
TO me that men could take some of
the epjthets and be manly
didn't understand that these things
were not meant as insults, were
joking terms. / was very happy.
must say. though, that Manager
Bill Armour acted as a father to
me and gave me every help pos
sible. He had made up his mind
TO launch" me and he stuck to it.
lie forgave my faults; at any rate
he pointed them out and helped me
correct them.
The first harshness came when
Mcintyre told me one day that /
couldn't take my batting turn
with the regulars in practice.