Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 117, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 May 1912 — UNIQUE POSITION OF CLEVELAND PLAYER Neal Ball, Naps’ Great Utility Player. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

UNIQUE POSITION OF CLEVELAND PLAYER

Neal Ball, Naps’ Great Utility Player.

Neal Ball stands in a rather peculiar position on the Cleveland club. No one reckons that he has a chance to become a.regular in the immediate future. The only thing that may bring that title to him is an injury to Nap Lajoie or a shift of Larry from second to first. But every one reckons Neal a regular member of the club just as they do Larry, Gregg and Olson. Neal isn’t fighting for a job. He is a star utility man. Before the gong sounds announcing the opening of the campaign he can rest assured that his name will remain on the roster, no matter who else departs. It is doubtful if there has ever been a parallel to his case fn the history of baseball. A utility role is a hazardous one at its best. Forced to rest upon the bench during the greater part of a season, then suddenly called upon to jump into a breach during the heat of a race, asked perhaps, to fill the shoes of a man who has been playing brilliantly, the

f>4c/L r/YO*TA>SOM Pf/OTO

fans invariably demand that the utility player deliver the same high-class article as the man who preceded him. It’s an injustice to expect a man, virtually out of practice, to do so. The utility player who can do so is one of the rarest things in baseball. By the same token he is almost invaluable. That’s just what makes Neal Ball a great player for the Cleveland club. The folks around the circuit are still talking about his performance last year. There was not a better fielding second baseman in the league. A huge number of the critics and players believe that Neal was the greatest fielding second baseman of 1911. Neal is undoubtedly one of the most popular players with his teammates that the club has ever had. It is doubtful if anyone ever heard a Cleveland player criticise the “triple play hero.” He’s everyone’s friend. He’s a conscientious athlete. On the field he gives the club everything he possesses. Off the field be takes perfect care of himself.