The Washington times., 1931-09-10
STARS
ALSO FLOP
TH|SYEAR
BY BABE RUTH

1oCcnC announcement IEOm NEl
cago that Hack Wilson is on the
market, and will not be q mem
Der of the 1882 Cubs, merely
emphasizes the old saying that
you never can tell what will hap
pen in baseball. Just a year ago
Hack was the toast of Chicago
and the National League. He
won the 1880 home run honors
by hitting Sc, and he starred fol-
the CuLs all season.
Now -.'e hear that the officials
Of the Chicago club have decided
that Hack will play somewhere
else next year. They apparently
don't know where, but he is
tagged for sale or trade. Only
q few days ago, he was suspended
for the balance of the season.
Who would have thought last
spring, about the time the bands
were playing the opening day
music, that any such thing would
happen. Hack had been one OF
the Cubs bright stars for a few
years before he crashed through
his marvellous performance in
1880.
This news about Hack set
me thinking about the ups and
downs of the ball player, and
some et the unexpected de-
velOpments of the season now
drawing to q close. There
have been quite a few Of these
ups and downs among the
major league players this year,
but perhaps no more than the
average. But just hark back
to opening day last April for
o moment and compare circum-
stances then and now.
Quite few players have
reason to argue that they had
more downs than ups in 1881.
Take Fresco Thompson. He was
rated as a sure thing on the
Brooklyn infield and the player
needed to make the team a pen
nant contender. But he was hurt
during the training season, never
did reach his normal form, and
finally he was displaced as a
regular.
Disappointing Season
Taylor Douthit opened the
season as a regular outfielder OF
the st. Louis Cardinals, National
League champions, with bright
prospects of repeating. It is
always bad news when player
is sent from a contender to a
club out of the race, and that is
what happened to Douthit, who
was traded to the Cincinnati
Reds. This trade, however, was
q great break for Walter Roett-
ger, who went back to the Cardi-
mails. Roettger had been traded
by the Cards in 1880 and thereby
missed a world series melon
cutting, just as Douthit does this
year.
Hughey Critz and Joe Judge
are two more players to whom
the 1881 season has been one of
bitter disappointment. An injury
in the spring handicapped Critz
and finally forced his early re-
tirement from baseball for the
year. An operation forced Judge
out Of the lineup and he never
was able to get back despite his
brilliant work in 1880.
Ted Lyons, of the White SOx,
was one of the Outstanding
winners of 1880, although he
was pitching for a weak.hitting
club which finished in the
second division. He was listed
among the best four pitchers
Of last season and this year he
has been next to useless. An
injury, which specialists have
not been able to ease, has
dropped Lyons down near the
bottom of the major league
pitchers. He was enjoying the
upS Of baseball last year, as
Hack Wilson did, and he Suf-
fered severely on the down side
this year.
Dusty Cooke of the Yankees
started the season as regular
outfielder, suffered a severe in
jury ten days after the race
opened and never was able to get
back into the lineup. He is fin
ishing up the year in the minors.
Hal McKain of the White Sox was
rated as a coming star when the
campaign opened, but an injury
spoiled his season, and he was
sent home a few weeks ago.
These are some Of the players
who found this season one of
reverse and disappointment. A
few found it the opposite. Just
as the training season was open
ing last spring, Connie Mack
made a deal with the Red Sox
and brought Phil Todt and John
ny Heving from non-contender
to a repeating championship club.
Only few weeks ago the Detroit
Tigers asked waivers on Waite
Hoyt and it was Waite's good
fortune to ride through all clubs
up to the first place AS. Players
always regard it a great break to
be taken by a pennant winner.
Joe Shaute was a free agent
last spring, Ben Chapman's place
MS q Yankee regular was in
doubt when the season opened,
and Lefty Gomez was just
rookie. Shaute has helped Brook
lyn O lot, Chapman has developed
into q good outfielder and hitter,
and the games best base runner.