The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-07-30

Hug Outsmorted Big Brutes;
Little Everywhere" His Tag;
He Was A Great Leod-Off Man
Forty-fifth of a series
BY HARRY GRAYSON
(NEA Sports Editor


Miller James Higgins record as
a manager overshadoWs his achieve
mentS as player.
Miller Higgins is remembered as
the Mite Manager who built the
Yankees, won six pennants anG
three world championships anG
made a man out of Babe Ruth.
But Higgins, despite lack of size
and other physical handicaps, was
also one of the more skillful second
basemen and an outstanding lead
off man.
Little Everywhere, as they called
him, participated in 1873 National
league games in IS years, left life
time batting average of 265, the re-
markable fielding average of $50.
Hug turned weaknesses into adj
vantages, converted what would
have been insuperable physical
handicaps for an ordinary player
into strong points which enabled
him to scale the heights.
Rabbit Higgins, as he was known
later, ran like one when he broke
in with Cincinnati, where he was
born and grew up on the sandlots
in 1904, following bright four
year apprenticeship with Mansfield
O., of the Interstate and ST. Paul
He weighed no more than 1875
pounds soaking wet, stood only five
feet four. At no time during his
PLAYING career did he scale more
than 148.
GETTING ON is MAIN IDEA
Little Everywhere had to out
smart the big brutes to get by, and
passable work didn't satisfy him.
A switch hitter and natural lead
off man, he couldn't hit the ball
far, so concentrated on getting on
base. He cultivated the knack of
walking, crouched to give the
pitcher a poorer target in the way
of the strike zone.
With the st. Louis Cardinals
June l, 1910 he drew four bases
on balls and made two sacrifice
hits in six trips. He had the eye
and spirit of the fighting cock of
which he reminded you on the
field.
Hug got to be a more formidable
hitter than many old-timers sup
pose. He hit 292 for the Reds in
'06, .304 for the Cardinals six years
later.
Little Everywhere was as durable
as he was frail. With the Reds of
OF, he tied the National league
record for games played at second
base in a SeaSon-156.
He got his hands on balls at
which many second basemen would
not even go to the trouble of wav-
ing, tied the modern National
league record for chances accepted
by a guardian of the keystone in a
game-16-While with the Cardinals,
July 10, II. He was busy dynamo,
sharing the popularity enjoyed by
diminutive athletes.
Hug was a superlative baserunner
-41 stolen bases in '06.
Little Everywhere showed qualities
of leadership before being traded by
Cincinnati to st. Louis in the winter
of '09, took over the management
of the Cardinals in 10, made such
a splendid showing with misfit ma
terial that he was beckoned by Col.
Rupert of the Yankees.
A PLEADER OR A PLAYER
Hug was raised in one of the
toughest wards in Cincinnati, but
the head of the family was strict
Methodist who did not approve Of
Miller playing baseball at all, let
alone on Sunday, so Little Every
where helped pay his way through
law school by performing as a
semi-pro under the name of Proc
tor.
Among his semi-pro teams was
one organized by Col. Julius Fleisch
mann, who sponsored Little Every
where while he was in his teens.
1t was William Howard Taft,
then on the law faculty of the Uni
versity of Cincinnati, who told Mil
Ter Higgins: You can become a
pleader or player, not both. Try
baseball. You seem to like it better. -
Justice Taft always talked for
baseball, and he certainly spoke for
it then.