Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-01-20
Steve 0NEIL,
VET CATCHER,
NOW MANAGER
Will Lead Club at To-
tronto; Is Said To
Have Had Sharpest
Ears in Baseball
BY NORMAN z. BROWN.
Sports Writer fer Central Press and
TIE Brownsville Herald.

zCO@r& W~sLG~ -CE AELLEEs ~E&E &&G
rhe Brownsville Herald.
Steve O'Ns:il. -2tee - one Q. the
great c.tcLe-s os baseball, viii make
rs debut IS : manager this year IS
pilot of the Toronto club O. TIE Il
te-=zt.oaal league.
T. addition 20 being famous IS :
:. tie Best 52ckstops tie diamond
game Las svs= r-ccrct5, Steve nay
wei BE pointed CIT as o=e q tie
best Listeners !. baseball
Eeen Ears
Steve lad ore OF the kes=sst p.i-
Q. ea-s :. tie r2st.=e-z.6 =a6s
good Use o. then. That's ore &C tie
reasons why e became c=e ot tie
La~ckstorr:=z .==c-tais-
There was only ore thing TIA.
Steve never could hear n Z ball
game. That was the warning cry ot
: base gunner TO get out CO the way
- horne plate. steve's ears became
s.x-piy t.- with q runner c- third
base-c- rounding third. TIE su-est
thing = that days bali game was
that Steve worlc greet the -urner
: few feet n front 90 TIE rubber with
his (Steve's) knees, backed by 165
al later 155 pounds Of good solid
r&t@a.d TIE ball, provided some
5.zy got !. 20 Steve i tine. Re Will
70 cow= j. history, without : doubt,
rs tie greatest blocker the gane has
sver known.
This wasn't his only asset, how
aver. a keen baseball brain (Which
absorbed muck u the listening bees),
: good arm, ard the ability % lit u
TIE p:=ches, added 70 oNs;ll's worth
Is : player.
ONe.ll sps-t IS Yeas With TIE
Cleveland club, : year With Boston,
: b-;et spell with the New York Van
KEGS, ard a year o. 20 with the s..
Louis Browns. J, al that tine he
reached TIE 200 hitter class some-
ts..z Ike three campaigns. re lac,
however, that happy faculty Of driv-
.rg out : clean-cut single or double
when the garne was tight and q base
hit meant a turn IN the tide Of battle.
70 Is interesting 20 note that the
..-st year Re eve hit above 500 was
the seasos y wh.ch tie Cleveland
clcb WOE rs .i-st ard oaly pen.a-t.
That year ONe:il caught 149 games.
Eis brilliant work behind the plate
was. in itself, enough to stamp him
IS q valuable member OF that team.
u was he who caught the great
Stanley CoveieSk!e - tie three VIC
TORIES that tie csi. pcle turned 4.
- tie worlds series that tollowed-a
feat that placed Convey a=oas tie
ranks of the hurlirE inmortals. But
y edd!t.o. 70 his work with the -,!tt,
O'Ne!ll hit .32i fo- tie seascn ard !.
TIE series with tie 5-cokly. Dodgers
collected seven hits j. q times at
BAT = tie eve games playeG-to- :
batting average CT .s55-
Signed with Torc.tc
The Yankees obtained o'Ne!ll AZ
TIE waiver price from tie Red Sox
after the 1924 campaign. The Hug
r.er, however. finally let Steve 20,
@=c not : =ajc- league club seemed
called Through" Es had had Z
IN weight. He was peeved, however,
a. the edict Of the moguls. Dan
Howley, then managing Toronto,
signed ONeill 20 catch tcr him for
the season OF 1925.
-Ih sign o. tie understanding that
:. J act = chance 20 80 back 10 youl!
.st ne take lts sald steve. h0wlev
agreed. Steve proceeded to help
Howley w, 9 pernsnt that wear. TIE
following year Eowley was named
manager o. tie st. Louis Browns.
Two G th-se major League clubs
sought ONes!i's services. Howley
%Entec him, too. hut told 0'Neill 10
.Jllow his own desires. OfNeill chose
10 stick with Dapper Dan. And How
ley frankly gave 0Neill credit for .
isarEe part II tie sudden revival snd
the, rebuilding o. the Browns, with
sls astute handling OF the young
pitchers ard his general spirit.
Toronto remembered him as
heady catcher and q popular chap.
The chances are good that Howley
would have Liked 70 have kept O'Nsill
with h..- tk.s season .o- lis value
:. . eo.es, hrt when tie chance
cane .o- tie baekstop 70 branch cut
.. lis heck, Howley was only
too glad 70 give him q boost To tire
Toronto owners
80 Stoves . manager row.