Evening star., 1928-12-31

~ H1CAGO, December Slime
4 "Old Roman" Charles A.
Comiskey. marches on.
~ Head up, looking forward
and never backward, the only
owner the Chicago White Sox ever had,
enters his fifty-third year of professional
base ball tomorrow, determined to keep
faith with fans by rebuilding to cham
pionship heights the club that was
crushed by base balls darkest scandal
just nine years ago.
The "Old Roman" the only base ball
player who ever rose to sole ownership
of a major league base ball club. Is
nearly 10 years old, but the same fiery
spirit and cunning still is with him.
His ambition to keep faith Is his OBJ
session now and his motto Is always
forward, never backward"
"I am fast nearing my allotted time
of three score years and ten" the "Old
Roman" said as he talked Of the fu-
ture to the Associated Press, "but my
spirit is there-the same spirit I had
when I played first base wit. the old
st. Louis Browns way back in '82. Oh
course, I have relegated much OF the
business management to others. but
still Get and sleep base ball. It's my
life, 1 guess. My ambition? 1t Is to
keep faith with those wonderfully loyal
White Sox fans by giving them a cham
pionship team as soon as possibly can.
Scandal Was Hard Blow.
"You know, lot of fans are loyal,
but quick to misunderstood. That af-
fair back in 1919 came as bombShen
to me. Through it, lost eight OF the
most natural base ball players / ever
saw. It was terrible blow. Yet, I
gritted my teeth, aided in the investi-
cation and there determined to rebuild
my team as soon as possible into q
championship team.
st was greatly disturbed, that Is
true. But by faith in base ball and
in base ball players was not shattered.
People should realize as do that there
is a certain dishonesty, a certain num-
Der of crooks in every business. Base
ball has its crooks, but only few com.
pared with the average business. Yet
it belongs to the public and that scam
dal hit the public and for time shat
tered its confidence in this great game.
1t didn't shatter my confidence though.
Probably, it was good thing for base
ball, as the players and owners were
brought to the full realization of the
| public'S intense interest in the game.
"It has been a long, tedious job in
rebuilding this club, but now we are
getting back into light. It takes long,
er to build up a base ball team than
an ordinary business, you know. It
takes lot Of money, patience and
scouting"
With his eyes showing their old time
| sparkle, "Commy' then dove into the
| future.
Now in 1929-my fifty-third year in
the game-our prospects are brighter
| hal 7
will be closer than it was in 1928. We
should land in the first division, at
least, but who knows the fortunes Of
base ball? Maybe, we will fool them
all.
First of ALL we have Russell Black
burne, one of the greatest hustlers in
the game and man who inspires his
| players, as manager. His leadership
| means something, and am confident
he will get mere out of our boys. Then
! we have great staff of pitchers-Ted
Lyons, Alphonse Thomas, Urban Faber,
young Ed Walsh and another conner,
Bob Weiland. who comes from the
Mississippi Valley League. Some Of
| them had injuries last season, but bad
luck can't last forever. In addition, We
have strengthened our club by obtain
| ing Hoffman, an outf1elder, from the
|
League, and Kerr, star second Sacker,
from Hollywood of the same circuit.
Best Bet Is Art Shires.
''I think our best bet, however. Is Art
Shires, who came to us from Texas in
time to play few games at first last
| Fall. The base ball world will hear
more of Shires, predict. He IS a great
player. Bill Cissell, another rookie, is
going to be great shortstop, too.
The other players will come through
again. too"
i The "old Roman believes no base
| ball team or no business organization
| is stronger than its weakest link, there
| fore, he and Manager Blackburne have
ordered morning practice daily next
season.
why should we lose base ball games
in the afternoon when we can correct
the mistakes that lose them by morning
practice?" Comiskey asked. "No busi-
ness man can remain successful Is he
doesn't keep in practice and eliminate
mistakes. That's the way with base
ball. The White Sox are going to prac-
tice bright and early every morning
next season"