Evening star., 1933-10-01
Players Who Won
Popularity on
Team mn ich
We're De 0elobed
Here Griffin
Stadium ON Land
With Interesting
History -Beyer?S
Park.
BY JOHN CLACETT PROCTOR.


IN few days the great annual American
base ball classic will be in full swing, with
the Washington Nationals and the New
York Giants fighting it out for world
supremacy. Just which of these teams will
win, no one at this time can say, although
many may be able to guess correctly and cash
accordingly.
No doubt the people from both washington
and New York will be pulling strongly for their
respective teams; but, after all, the chances
are that the best team will Wn unless an ele-
ment OF luck should decide the contest as it
has been known to do
Washington has great ball team; indeed, it
has had many fine teams, one especially back
in 1924 just nine years ago, when it was
also playing the Giants and just nosed out the
series in the seventh game. At this time the
first and the seventh game, as many Will recall
went twelve innings, and it was through the
supreme efforts of Walter johnson, who pitched
the last four innings in the final game, and
McNeelys timely two-bagger, that the series
was decided in favor of Washington. The
following year luck seems to have been against
the Nationals in their play-of with the Pitts
eurgh team. for they lost out in the seventh
game by score Of 9 to T. So most anything
is likely to happen in the present series. and
perhaps New York will be out for little
vindication and lively scrap is possible.
Undoubtedly q big crowd will turn out upon
this occasion, and the od-timer will be there
today and as it used to be-; while the merits
of some of the old players will also, quite
likely be compared with the present aggrega-
ton of ball tossers and the way they handle
themselves on the diamond.
No doubt such favorites as Phil Baker, Billy
Wise, Bob Barr and other early players will be
mentioned and their merits lauded to the sky;
for there is no gainsaying the fact that Wash
ington has had some great ball players from
The very first days Of the sport. group pic
ture of the old Nationals of 1878-79, before
the writer, shows John White, then playing
zccond base; Babe Trott, catcher; Myrtle first
b3se; Oscar Balaski right field; Derby, pitcher;
John Hollngshead, leftfield Phil Baker, center
and catcher; John Lynch, pitcher; Elliott third
base, and Mcclellan, shortstop.
OF these players, George H. Derby. after
leaving the Washington team, went with the
Detroit Nationals in 1881, and continued pitch
ing for that club until 1888.
John HOLLLNGSHEAD was real old-timer.
y He was washingtonian, and first began to
rlay on the White House lot in the late COS.
I2 is recorded as having played with the
Wsshingtons as early as 1873; with the Bal
timore team in 1874 back to Washington, 1875.
In 1876, 1877 and 1873 he playing here
vi h amateur teams, and was a member OF
the Washington Nationals again in 1879. He
was probably the John S. Hollingshead, clerk
In the Treasury Department, who in 1878, was
living with his widowed mother at 1919 s
street northwest, and the following year at
1889 Thirteenth street northwest
Phil Baker, another popular player with the
old Nationals and who will be recalled by
many, at first alternated as catcher and out
fielder, but later confined himself to the posi-
ton behind the bat. He was born in Germany
in 1857, and began playing ball with Phila-
delphia amateurs in 1874-75. He was with the
Altoona club in 1876: became charter member
cf the Philadelphias the same year; played In
Auburn, 1877; with the Hornells. 187778, and
the Washington Nationals, 187879-80. In
1881 he signed with the Providence team, and
was backlisted for not playing, for business
reasons, but in 1882 was back again in a
Washington uniform.
AS the writer recalls him, he a wide
awake, aggressive ball player who rarely, if
ever wore gloves. He played many times on
the old ball field at Ninth and streets, and
his fingers looked rather gnarled from the
many times they had been knocked out Of
Joint when an imperfect catch was made. He
was gentlemanly sort of a fellow, and married
Miss Cole who resided on Ninth street north
west, between and u block away from the
ball grounds and whose father was police
officer named Norman H. Cole.
Two years ago, the writer saw in the press
picture of Gabby Street, well known to WASH
ington ball enthusiasts, beneath which was the
following startling statement: "Gabby Street Is
shown here holding the ball tossed off the 555-
foot WaShjnptOn Monument which he caught