Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 106, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1913 — VETERANS OF THE BASEBALL DIAMOND [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

VETERANS OF THE BASEBALL DIAMOND

One interesting point in connectidn with the career of Hans Wagner of the Pittsburg club was not brought out recently when he signed his Pirate contract for 1913. The “Flying Dutchman” is the oldest player in the National league in point of continuous service. There are one or two players in the organization who are a bit older in years than Honus, but there is none who has graced the big show as long without a break as has he. Wagner signed with the old Louisville club on July 19, 1897. The only other player still in active service who broke in the same year as' Wagner is Jimmie Sheckard of the Chicago Cubs, who signed his first National league contract on September 14, 1897. Neither of these players has been out of fast company since, but Wagner’s record for the long period is much better than Sheckard’s. Wagner was secured' by Louisville from Paterson, N. J. Sheckard broke into baseball at Portsmouth, Va., in 1896. The next year he was with Brockton in the New England league, from which club he went to Brooklyn.

In 1897 he did not play enough in the big league to get a batting or fielding average. Since then he has been with Baltimore, Brooklyn and Chicago, going to the Cubs iu the spring of 1906. There are two playerß in the American league Who have been playing in fast company longer than either Wagner or Sheckard. They are Lajoie of the Naps and Bobby Wallace of the Browns. Lajoie broke in with the Philadelphia Nationals in 1896, taking part in 39 games that season, after having played 80 games with Fall River in the New England league, where he was a center fielder. He remained with the Phillies until 1901, when he jumped to the American league. The following year he joined Cleveland, and has been there continuously since. Bobby Wallace played his first major league ball at Cleveland in the old National league in 1895. He was In the Forest City until 1899, when he went to the St. Louis Nationals. In 1902 he appeared first in the American league, and has been with the Browns ever since.

Jimmie Sheckard of Chicago Cubs.