Evening star., 1937-02-13
By Francis E. Stan.

American League pitcher who
Il one day asked the name of a
city and promptly was fired for it.
The scene was supposed to have taken
place more than 10 years ago in New
York and the manager Of the ball club
was reported to have said, Anybody
who doesn't know when he's in New
York doesn't belong in the big leagues. Z"
The saga Of the firing of Harry Le-
roy Kelley back in 1926 is unconfirmed,
but, withal, Is repeated with relish,
especially now when base ball is stir
ring again. Harry Kelley, rookie with
the Washington Senators at the time,
was sent back to the Southern Asso-
citation, whence he came, back to blue
plate luncheons, hard, bumpy dia-
monds and long, dusty bus rides.
He was not without talent. He had
fine knuckle ball and showed promise,
but after he was returned to the bushes
the major league scouts overlooked
him for few years and, finally, Kel-
ley was ready to resign himself to
spending the rest Of his pitching days
In the minors. The fact that last sea-
son he was one of the prize rookie"
hurlers of the year, at an age when
ball players face the twilight Of their
careers, is worth looking into.
The year Of 1886 was a season with
singular accent on age for base ball.
A pitcher, fired 10 years ago, returned
at the mellowing figure of over 80
years Of age and starred for the Ath-
letics, winning Is games before an ap-
pendectomy laid him low during Au-
gust. On many other big league clubs,
similar players, men who had been
overlooked by scouts for years, bounced
into the spotlight under the big tent.
Why? Young ball players in the
minors, for possibly several reasons,
simply were not in abundance. True,
Bob Feller's meteoric career with
Cleveland was launched last season,
Joe Di Maggio's name was plastered
across the tops OF sports pages and
Buddy Lewis of the Senators proved
to be an outstanding Unfolding rookie.
But these were only a few. Certainly
there were not enough youngsters to
MI the other gaps.
THIS season, if anything, will stress
still more the accent on age.
This month base balls clarion call to
training camps will ring out, and
from Maine to California, Canada to
the Gulf OF Mexico an army OF ball
players will head for Florida, Texas
and other popular training headquar-
ters. And. forming a full battalion
in this army, will be carbon copies of
Kelley, recruited by every ball club
In the major leagues.
Long George Kelly, former first
baseman for the New York Giants
and the Cincinnati Reds. recently was
quoted on his opinion of present-day
ball players and he pulled no verbal
punches. Base ball ability isn't
what it used to be-" said the star Of
decade ago. There are fellows
playing ball in the major leagues
today who wouldn't have been good
minor leaguers 10 and Is years ago.
There may be few standouts, but
the average ball player now grades
far below those of 1920 and 1925.
why? Because the boys of today
don't get base ball training. They're
soft. The automobile and the hip
pocket flask have replaced the sand
lot. And the sport among most Of
the youngsters is soft ball, a game In
which you can't get hurt. Modern
youth is too soft to produce the tough
ball players of Is years ago."
Clark Grifhth, venerable president
OF the Washington ball club, might
well be credited with being the first
club owner to see the nght-ahead Of
even Connie Mack who brought Kel-
ley back to the big show. In the
early Fall of 1885 Griffth was speed
between the Tigers and Cubs. In his
company were several newspaper men,
During the course of conversation
somebody asked the "Old Fox" as
he is known throughout the diamond
world, when he intended TO start re-
building his Senators, who had I'm
ished q poor seventh that season.
GRIFFITH pulled from his pocket a
4Iot Va III diG pIayNIS, CtsAhb
minor leaguers who annually are
awarded various American and Ma
tional League clubs on the eve Of the
world series. 1t is sort OF a grab
bag proposition designed to give bush
leaguers who were overlooked by
scouts a chance in the big show
You'll probably laugh" said Griff.
''but there's fellow named Appleton
on this list that I'd like to get. Peter
Appleton. He won % games for Mon
treal in 1885"
Those who formed Griffth's audi
ance did laugh. When Detroit was
reached the newspaper boys turned
their attention to series players, man
ayers and to youthful Tom Yawkey.
owner OF the Red Sox Yawkey was in
the process of buying half of the Ath-
letic stars that Fall. So Griff wanted
Appleton? That was rich. Appleton"
had been in existence only about
year, but formerly he was Pete Jabla-
nowski, pitcher best remembered be-
cause he had failed, in the past. with
Cleveland, Boston, New York and
Cincinnati.
The Senators got Appleton in the
draft, paying the standard class AA
price Of 81 500 to Montreal, and every
body said it didn't make sense Here
was an owner Of a seventh-place club
buying a battle-scarred minor Lacquer.
over 80 years Of age, and chronic
failure! All his diamond career Griff
had sprung surprises, winning pen
nants with ''boy managers" and nom
descript teams. and maneuvering ball
players in trades, as a master chess
man moves his rocks. Then, this
why. ball clubs are rebuilt. on youth.
Rot on washed-up mirror leaguers.
Griff had 10 fowery rebuttal. He
merely said. simply: Hes got good
arm. His legs are all right. He won %
games for Montreal. He knows what
it's all about In the bCx and that's