The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-07-09
- Montana
of other days

This tale is OF 1900 lntage. BaSepall
Is its theme. A league, a team and q
for proper decoration and a few high
lights are employed for splicing. The
league in question was known as the
Montana State Baseball association;
dt was the second state league organ
lied in Montana, the first occurring
the player was the late Bert Shills.
Four cities, Butte, Anaconda, Helena
and Great Falls, comprised the cir
cult which came into being through
the efforts of w. H. Luca and Homes
John" McCloskey. Their missionary
a six-club league. Lucas, for his efforts,
was named president Of the league, a
job that paid $1,000. McCloskey was
rewarded with the management OF the
Great Falls club.
The ., State League - season ssOt g 5eg aam on
were played or Saturdays, Sundays,
Tuesdays and Thursdays and holidays.
Helena won the pennant in the first
half of the season and Great Falls
won the last-half honors.
Anaconda Got Slugger
The Anaconda team was managed
by Jack Grim, who collected a pretty
good array of talent. One OF Grlm'S
major managerial bits was signing Bert
0lIllkS, d 041CbOySoA4s NAo WV ~ w.
a mighty man Of swat in Wisconsin
league in the 1899 season. Grim brought
ShillS to Anaconda, but a director OF
the club kept him on the payroll. That
part of the tale will be spur a few
paragraphs down.
Shills made an impressive start. He
socked out home runs, and gathered
enough. hits to give him a fair average
in the first two weeks of the season:
His third -basing was all to the good
and, when the regular ShortStop was
injured, Bert did a nifty act In that
position. His place in the batting order
was third.
the third week of play. It provided
an element of surprise when Bert, in
four games in a week., got only n
hit, a homer. When the slump ex.
tended to two weeks, the ANS wanted
his scalp. AS the slump of the Shills
boy kept on, his release seemed TO ne
had reached a .229 low. The first half
of the season closed on July 4. The
only bright spot in Shills' record during
the first stretch was his collection OF
home runs 10 in number, which was
than all the othed players In
Jack Grim told the Anaconda CLUB
directors that he was going to tie the
can to ShillS. Despite his home-runn1ng,
Bert was a disappointment, a hitter
who connected too seldom. All OF the
directors, but one, agreed to get rid
Dirty Plot Overcome
The man opposed to giving the gate
to the PLAYER was "Firecracker Bill"
webb who insisted there was a reason
for Shills hitting slump though 1t
idn't appear IN the surface. Bill IN
timated that he might be able to correct
the cause and asked to be appointed a
committee of one He was told to go
to it.
"Firecracker Bill" sought out Shills.
He talked to him like a Dutch uncle.
webb declared that Bert was playing
for his release, intimating that he
knew that John McCloSkey, Great
Falls team manager, was PACK OF tne
plan for shills t. H5,F Play ad the f9n t GI q
was something to the story, remarking
that McCloskey would pay more money
than Anaconda.
webb and Shills visited the Copper
City store. It was Webb's idea. Sh1us
was presented with a suit OF ciothes'
a hat, a pair Of shoes, a top coat, shirts;
to almost $50. In n trouser pocket,
webb had inserted a $40 gold piece.
Webb also promised Shllls a SO q
month salary increase if he emerged
from his batting stump. II was d oeaA.
Gold Warmed Batting Eye
Shills, meanwhile, had been dropped
from third to seventh in the batting
order. He asked Webb to move MN
hack to the third slot. Webb told him
to gather his hits and the move would
be made.
The next day, Shills made four hits
out of five trips to the plate. Three
of the hits were home runs. The home
crowd applauded mildly. wondering
to form. The next.two games Shills got
his share of blows, four singles and
Then Sunday came up On the cal.
endar. The Butte team was to play at
FACTS, FIGURES OF