Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 127, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1915 — WANTS 3,000 BINGLES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WANTS 3,000 BINGLES

Big Tiger Outfielder Is Out After New Record. Ordinary Hitting In Seasons of 1916 and 1916 Will Sand Sam Crawford Under Wire on to Hools of Hans Wagner and Lajols. Another couple of seasons will find Detroit in possession of a slugger who will have charge of 3,000 major league base hits —it doesn’t take any great amount of baseball knowledge to figure the athlete; there’s only one Tiger to whom that honor could go, and that is Sam Crawford. The big ontfleldlng star has been with Detroit for twelve years. Im the seasons of 1904 to 1914 inclusive Crawford made 2,031 hits, an average of slightly better than 184 to a season. Crawford broke into major league baseball in 1899 as a member of the Cincinnati National league team. In about thirty games he made thirty-two hits. . His years as a Tiger and the total of his hits art tabulated thus: 1904, 141; 1905, 227; 1906, 166; 1907, 188: 1908, 177; 19Q9, 183; 1910, 167; 1911, 217; 1912, 189; 1913, 193; 1914, 183. The statistics of modern day baseball are somewhat deficient, but fig* uring that the slugger made an average of 184 hits a season, which he undoubtedly did, it can be found that in the seasons of 1900 to 1903 inclusive he collected 736 safe swats, thus bringing the total for his career to 2,767. Just ordinary hitting in the seasons of 1915 and 1916 will send “Wahoo Sam” under the wire and on to the heels of Hans Wagner and Larry Lajoie, the only other veterans to reach the mark. Crawford proposes setting a mark that will stand for all time. He has set upon 3,600 as the total for his hits.

and, reaching this mark, he will just about put up a mark for all hitters to shoot at. Harry Tuthlll, trainer of the team, says Crawford has at least five more years to go as a major league star. “Unless meeting with an accident, there is no reason why Crawford should not continue playing almost indefinitely,” declared TuthilL “Sam takeß better care of himself than any other player in baseball; probably better care of himself than any other man In the country. “He starts training for a season with the beginning of the year. He eliminates all pastries from his foodstuffs; he doesn’t drink at any time; he never smokes during the training season and seldom out of it; he Uvea regularly, eats regularly, and when a healthy man rat the beginning keeps np a life like this there is no reason why he should not continue playing baseball almost as long as he wishes. "Crawford is an ideal player. He is a player every one'looks upon with favor, and he carries the respect of teammates and opposing players. He is easily handled, and when a man carries this, record there is nothing to fear." If Crawford makes good on his hopes the chances favor the creation of a record of more than 3,500 hits.

Sam Crawford.