Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 147, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1915 — PASSING OF GREAT ATHLETE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PASSING OF GREAT ATHLETE

Jim Thorpe Fails to Make Good as Regular on New York Giant*— Is Sent to Jersey City. That a ball player is not necessarily an athlete, according to the accepted meaning of the word, has been shown rather conclusively in the release of Jim Thorpe, under optional agreement, to the Jersey City club of the International league. Thorpe, the greatest athlete America ever produced—the man who was honored by the king of Sweden —after two years of effort has not been able to make good as a* regular on the New York Giants. He was the fastest runner on the club, with the possible exception of Hans Lobert; he was the strongest of muscle by far; he was the best wrestler; he had a swing that could throw a weight farther than any man on the club, and he could outjump any member of the team by many inches. Still, Thorpe

was not a ball phtyer; that is, not the kind McGraw must have. McGraw tried Thorpe as a regular at the beginning of this season, figuring that he was ready now or would never be. Occasionally the Indian could hit the ball a mile, but more frequently he would strike out He apparently lacked the baseball instinct which, strangely enough, is possessed in large quantities by even runts and weaklings who cannot run fast, who are not strong of muscles and who could not win an athletio prise to save their lives. The only thing left Is for Thorpe to feel Ms way as a regular. If he can do better by working every day McGraw will give Mm a chance at the end of the season. If he cannot he retires as the greatest athlete in the world who could not win a berth on a major league ball club.

Jim Thorpe.