Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 188, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1910 — FOMER SOX PITCHER WINS FOR CINCINNATI [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FOMER SOX PITCHER WINS FOR CINCINNATI

, “A change of pasture Is good for the TOWS.” This expression Is often heard, out on the farm, and it seems to apply to baseball. Look at the case of “Bill” Burns. He was a twirler on Comiskey’s team In Chicago and as such seemd to have no interest in the game. He was known to possess the goods, but he seldom delivered them. Burns is of a family that has money and he doesn’t play baseball because he has to earn a living. It was thought, how-. ever, that he liked the game. Last year in Washington Burns had some trouble with the management of the Sox, and since then he has been of little use to COmiskey. So not long ago Comiskey asked for waivers on Burns. Not a magnate in the American league refused to waive. They didn’t want Burns. Clark Griffith, manager of the Cincinnati Reds, is a foxy old man. He knew Burns, and he knew that Burns could pitch if he would, so when the American league dropped Bill Griffith grabbed him for his National league team. What did Burns do? Here’s two things: He shut of the Chicago Cubs the first two times he pitched against them. Once with only one hit and the next time with two hits. That’s enough for Burns. Now hasn’t Griffith added to his right to the title of “Old Fox?” He got Bums for $1,500. "" "A bench manager has a distinct advantage over a player manager, hasn’t he, Connie?” A fan peppered this question at the leader of the Athletics in Detroit one day. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that at all,” replied Mack, In his usual guarded way. “There have been, and are, some great bench managers, and there have been, and are, some wonderful playing managers, meaning by playing managers men in uniform who get out and hustle, as do Clark Griffith and Hughey Jennings. “Ned Hanlon and Frank Selee were two of the greatest bench managers in the history of baseball. Hanlon won pennant after pennant, and Selee, let’s see, didn’t he win five flags for Boston? Then there’s George Stallings today. He seems to be doing right well. '‘Then look at the playing managers who have been eminently successful— Fred Clarke. Frank Chance, Clark Griffith, Hughey Jennings, Jimmy Collins, Muggsy McGraw and many others. ~ ■ “There ia, of course, one slight advantage the - bench manager may be Bald to possess if he has a good captain—there are two pairs of eyes watching every play from different angles. The man on the bench may see something the man in uniform does not, and vise versa. But even thiß advantage scarcely obtains when one is contemplating such men as Fielder Jones, Clark Griffith, Hughey Jennings, and men of that stamp. “Do you know that this baseball game is getting Jo be a fearful and wonderful proposition?” Connie went on. “Why, it isn’t so many years ago when the players’ bus would back up to the hotel door, 10 or 11 men would climb in, and away the rig would go on Its way to the ball park. “How is it today? Why, the manager has to stand out by the bus now and do stunts in mental and visual arithmetic until he’s dizzy. He counts the men in sight—2o, 21, 22, 23, 24 and then he has to stop and recall how many players he has on his staff. Lots of times I’ve forgotten altogether, and had to go in and look over the hotel register to see how many men were drawing salaries from the Athletic club. Do you know any ball club satisfied with its pitching stair? “if we had one invincible box man, who could go into the box 40 cr 50 times this season, and

save a game, i don’t see how they could stop us.” This is the line of dope one hears on every side and yet there isn’t half a dozen of the select “great” pitchers in the business, with each club carrying from eight to ten men. “You can’t land the money without at least one great pitcher.” remarked a baseball critic. “In fact, this has been the rule for years.” “I was forced to differ with the young man,” says Tom Murane. “The ball team that must depend altogether on a phenomenal pitching staff is not the ideal organization. If you started to build up a winning ball team, the last thing you would think of would be the pitchers. First, you would scour the country for a fast .Infield that could hit. Then would come the'outfield—fast ground covering outfielders, who could hit, and run bases. A catching staff would follow, and then the box men would be selected. In the early stages of the game the pitcher came first and the catcher next. One catcher did four fifths of the work behind the stick, and one pitcher with a sub did all the pitching. That Is the reason we remember such players as Buck Ewing, Mike Kelly, Charles Snyder, Frank Flint, Charley Bennett and other great catchers, as well as such pitchers as Charley Radbourne, John Clarkson, Amos Rusie, Jimmie Galvin, A. G. Spalding, Bobby Mathers and other famous box men. Some Of the greatest ball teams th* game has produced bail no star box men. One can hardly remember who did the pitching for Charley Comfokey’s four-time St. Louis winners. What fan outside of Baltimore can remember the staff on the Baltimore three-time winners under Ed Hanlan? Yet where is the real fan that cannot name the other members of the oriole world beaters? No club in the business has displayed the form for ten straight years thty. Pittsburg has, and no team has depended less on their pitching staff. Whether the pitchers were going good or bad the Pirates have always held a formidable position, depending on their ability to field and make runs. The announcement that “Red” Robert Kelly was absent from the White Sox right field on account of an'injury proves to have been not quite the whole truth. The club officials forgot to add that Kelly had bfen stopped playing with- the Sox by Order of the National commission. It seems that while at Notre Dame lost season Kelly got tangled up with the Holyoke club of the Connecticut league in some way. He did not sign any contract with Holyoke, but gr.ro that club enough claim on his services to allow Holyoke to protest against his use by the Sox and It was necessary to stop him until President Comlskey can straighten out the tangle Into which the collegian got himself. Negotiations to that end are in progress. For 13 years Hans Wagner has been hitting at a better than .300 clip, a feat beaten by only two men In the history of the two major leagues. They were Anson and Dan Brouthers. Anson bad a .300 average for 15 years straight and Brouthers scored as bigh a figure for 14 years right off the reel. Waco add San Antonio, of the Texas league, played through four and a half hours for 23 Innings recently to a tie, 1 to 1, a record for the league and one of the Jongeat games ever played In the south. Abies of Saa Antonio and Londell of Waco were the opposing pitchers, the former striking out 17 and allowing 1C hits, while Londell struck out 11 and allowed 15 lilts.

"BILL” BURNS.