THE1 OREGON ' SUNDAY " JOURNAL, - PORTLAND, 1 SUNDAY . MORNING, MARCH C, 1910.
1
NELSON'S FALL GIVES
LIGHTWEIGHTS HOPE
f FAMISLEW
I OF BASEDALLDOM
, VISIT PORTLAND
i BASEBALL MAGNATES PAY FLEETING VISIT TO PORTLAND
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Chicago White Sox Special
Carried Leading Lights of
Baseball; Harry McCormick
New Yorker, Here.
For twenty-five minutes Friday after
noon, Portland 4ield some of the great
est baseball men In the country. They
were in the party which made up the
White Sox apeclal and on their way
to can Francisco to practice
in all there were about 80 pemona
on the train. When they all got off the
train to get 'a bit of freBh air at the
Lnlon depot, a busy scene followed.
v-niei or interest to everybody was,
of course, Ban Johnson. Byron Ban
croft Johnson, as he should be called.
Johnson is the picture of health and
had a cheery word for every one he met
From a little newsboy who spied him
and cried "Hello, Mr. Johnson," up to
Fielder Jones, Ills old friend, It was
"How are you?", "You are looking fine,'
etc.
Johnson Born deader.
Ban Johnson Is a born leader. You
can see It In his very walk. 'That's
him" was What everybody said the
minute they saw him for mere seemed
to be a mysterious something about him
(hat stamped him at once as the big
gest man in the crowd,
lie was the biggest man, too, physi
cally. Ban Jojinson has been ut the
head of the American league since its
Inception and he has done as much for
baseball as any other man. He has al
ways stood for clean baseball. He has
done much to make the American league
what It la today. That he has made a
success of his work In shown by ihe
respect that Is shown him by his fellow
workers and the club owners of the Na
tional league.
Johnson's Strategy.
At the recent meeting of the Ameri
can league, through the diplomacy of
lohnnon, the American league was able
to frustrate the National league In Its
efforts to secure a 168 game schedule,
h move which. It Is believed by many,
would have bpen of great Injury to base
hall. Mr. Johnson asked that the Na
tional league allow him to prepnre
Kchfdtiles for his league to conform with
1 hone drawn up by the National.
One called for 154 gumes and the
other for 168. With these copies In
hand, Johnson drew up a schedule of
154 games for his league. It was adopt
ed and It Is now up to the National
league to either adopt the 154 game
schedule conforming with the American,
or to take the chances of losing money
by having so many conflicting dates.
As a reward for the service Johnson
lias rendered the American league, he
was signed to a contract by the club
owners calling for his employment as
president of the league at a salary of
$16,000 a year for 20 years.
Oomlskey popular.
.Tohnson'a host, Charles Comlskey, Is
..-..., f 1 11 n I nf ttin 1 ' ll 1 1 1 11 1. n nu.rlinii !
.n..wv ..t- .........., - v,l., !.. H .,1 te.
league club. For many years the star I ""l " l,,r " , , V h.
Wnicfllr. j ririe won in nnri.
music. One doleful strain he repeated
first baseman and manager of the 8t.
Louis Browns, pennant winners four
times In a row, Comlskey has secured a
name for brilliant management. He Is
known to the people of the east as
"The Old Roman."
As head of the Chicago White Sox
hi! has enjoyed unending popularity and
has grown rich. He has always finished
well in the American league and as a
result has always been financially well
fixed. The new Sox park at Chicago
will bo a fitting monument to his work
-it will bo the greatest playing field
In America.
Another prominent factor In the party
was Tip O'Neill, a close friend of both
Comlskey and Johnson, and said by
many to be one of the shrewdest politi
cians In baseball. He is prominent In
i lie wefrk of the National Association of
Minor Leagues also,
Ted Sullivan, one of the veterans of
the game, was another member of the
purty. Sullivan conducts an employ
ment agency for players In Chicago.
Many players are aided in this manner.
.Sullivan has been connected with the
great national game for a year.
Dnffy Unassuming.
Hugh Duffy, the new manager of the
White Sox, attracted more than usual
attention. Quiet and unassuming, It
was hard to tell at first whether one
really was talking to the right man.
When you got him Into conversation,
however, you learned more ,about him.
Duffy was the manager of the Philadel
phia Nationals for several years, and
for the past three years has been the
owner and manager of the Providence
Kastern league team. He won two pen
nants with that team. His signing by
Comlskey followed.
Duffy fully expects to make a strong
er team out of the White Sox. He has
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I over the pitcher's face and ho got down I , x i
to work again and pulled himself out I i
of the hole. !
"That day. While the players were I ' i
lunching at the hotel, one of the crowd I ' i
had been telling what had happened to
him one winter when he had allowed I
his whiskers to grow, and then had gone I Lijv ii
and paid a visit to some of his fellow I tJ ' i
ball tossers. The narratjve was very f 4':
amusing and Mack naa notii'ea mat. nis j Mrfr yt i 1
new pitcher enjoyed It hugely. Conse- I t a I ; , 1
quently, when he attracted his attention I j ' ,
during the jame, the thought flashed 5, r t ,v 1
Into his head that If he could get the ( ' s p"-i
young fellow's mind off the contest for J Vi ' ( j f.1, I
a moment, he would steady down. So I fJ i 5 S5
he brought back the funny story, and I S??'"v " .' J
thereby won the game. To whom do r , ( rr" 1
you think the credit of victory should I r t -,''
go. the pitcher or the manager? I imTf cxm -vv I
"The St. Louis Americans had on V. " i '
their roster at one time a pitcher who I y v j$z:?tj
hated to hear anybody whistling. He r . o'f'i A ' f
could stand It for a short time, but if it 1 , , - 5 v ' " , 1 k
was kept up It nearly made him frantic. I ''"'.a"': ' aC".-? Vn f
Crafty Clark Griffith, who was then V 'v . J ,
managing the New York Highlanders, ' , ,,v i y f
knew of the fellow's little oddity. When U t v j v . - .(?f!iW r I
the Browns came to New York and this W fCtJ f
l..l0. int In riorltn vont J?.::'' I r'
.. - , ,i .... ,
over and over. Griffith has so much
sarcasm In his makeup that he can
whistle sarcastically. Before long he.
had the chap from St. Louis simply
hopping around with anger. He lost
control and the New Yorkers knocked
him out of the box. Griffith upver tried
the trick again, though, for the pitcher,
a big husky chap, saw him privately
after the game. Just what passed be
tween the pair Is known only to them
selves, but It might not be difficult to
guess.
"There will always be contention as
BAN
a large number of young players, every
one of whom Is able to care for him
self. Then he has the veterans, Billy
Sullivan, Lee Tannehlll, Pat Dougherty,
Walsh. Smith, White, Burns. Sutor,
Scott, Hahn and Parent to help him out.
Nw Tori Qiant Visits.
A visitor at the train yesterday was
Harry McCormick, the New York Na
tional outfielder, who has returned his
contract unsigned to McGraw and who.
Is at present employed by the Q. A C.
Steel company. McCormick was always
'a great hitter, but a poor fielder.
He was one of the central figures In
the Merkle episode, which lost the pen
nant in the National league for New
York two years ago. McCormick was
on third and Merkle on first when Doyle
singled to right. McCormick crossed
the plate with what should have been
the winning run, but Merkle turned and
ran straight to the clubhouse instead of
touching second. The ball was thrown
to second base to Johnny Evcrs of the
Cubs, with the result that Merkle was
declared' out and the game a tie. It
was played over after much argument
and won by Chicago, 8 to 2.
to whether or not a playing manager
is more valuable th a team than a bench
manager. Some claim that a man who
is right In the game, In direct touch
with his men. Is better able to adviRe
them and instruct them, than one who
cannot communicate with them except
when they come in to the bench. Others
say that -a man who is playing has to
give too much attention to his own par
ticular work In .the game to put his en
tire mind on guiding his fellow players.
The man, they say, who Is on the bench,
has the entire game In front of him.
and Iirs nothing to concern him except
telling; lils men what to do. He ciin,
too. easily convey his wishes to them
at all limes, for fIriihIs hh readily bo
arranged. Hugh Jennings, of Detroit,
says:
" The playing manaRcr has not the
same chance to look out for slipups
that the fellow who's out of the Rnnio
has. He has to keep tiis mind on pluy
Ing his own individual part too much.
He knows that if ho falls down in a
tlKht place the rest of his team are
more than liable to ft") the name and
consequently he has a lot to worry
Bhout. Hay what you will, it affects
him n whole lot. both in playing and
directing. When you're not in the game
yourself you ran get a heller general
Idea of how things are going to break,
for you can be on the lookout every
minute, and yen mire need to be..'
Frank Chance, of Chicago, plavlng
manager. views things a little differ
ently:
" When you're managing ami playing
too,' lie says. " on have a much more
complete command of the situation.
You Know lust wnat your men arc up
against, ii n, you can consequently ad
vise them belter. Then, tuo, you are .In
Immediate contact with them all the
time, and thut helps a whole lot. And
this talk about it affecting ones play
ing is pure tommy-rol. It makes no
difference at nil."
"Above are the opinions of the two
greatest managers of present day base
ball. Looking over the big teams, wo
find that hi the American league for
1910 there will not be a manager who
will be a regular player on his team,
tiiough there are several who can fill
In as substitutes. In the National
there are four who will play regularly
Chance of Chicago, Clarke of Pitts
burg. Bresnahan of Kt. Louis, and
Dooiu of Philadelphia- and four bench
leaders Lake of Boston, McGraw of
New York. Dahlen of Brooklyn and
Griffith of Cincinnati. This shows
that 12 club owners out of 16 prefer
having their teams led from the bench,
rather than the field. But this goes to
prove nothing. Another year is likely
By W. W. Naughton.
8an Francisco, March &. Did the af
fair with Ad Wolgast mark the passing
of Battling Nelson as a championship
candidate?
The sporting public Is prone to think
so and the history of the- ring favors
the assumption.
When a top-notch fighter loses his
title and then confides to his friends
that he Is "Going to the mountains to
build up," It's a pretty sure sln he Is
over the crest and garlng down the
sunset trail.
Bat himself win not have it that the
setback at the hands of the waspish
Michigan boy means, "taps" for him.
but Bat Is only following the line of
reasoning adopted by a titling of de
feated champions which stretches f.n
hark Into the misty past.
X.esi Vitality; Mors Vanitr.
In my experience 1 have found ring
men to be a good deal like consump
tives. Too worse they become physi
cally Ihe brighter tile future In- mi. In
the cm sit of tiio fighters it looks as
though a decrease of vitality means an
increase lu vanity.
I thought Of this th! night before
Ihe battle, when Nelson sat knee to
luie.' with me at my desk and told me
with all - seriousness 111 the world, that
he was 101) per .cut belter than on the
eve of any of Ills former bouts.
Now that It Is iill over. Bat isn't In
sisting altogether that lie simply had
an uff day, such as he had when he ale
a steak ton many lu advance of one of
his annual reunions with Jimmy Hrlll.
lie admits that ho ivas shy on condi
tion with Wolgast anil argues Ihat a
lest from rlim work and a lay-off on
nls ranch In New Mexico will restore
what a Juggler of words has been
pleased to t'liu "prestine pugnacity."
Wise Ones Are Doubters.
The wise fellows shake their heads
when Bat talks, and continue to argue
that the Dane has lost his greatest
asset- -endurance.
They point to the fact that Wolgast
defeated Nelson some eight months ago
In Los Angeles, and that after tne re
verse Nelson declared he was all run
down and would not sign articles again
until he felt that he. could do himself
Justice.
If, by taking care of himself during
thn past eight months Hat could not
put himself In condition to make one
of his old-time fights, how can he hope
to do any belter after another clgnt
months? Will he not he older end far
Iher from his heyday than he was when
Wolgast punched him to pieces on
February 22'!
But It Is hard to say what the future
holds for Nelson as It Is for anyone
else. if by any special course of prep
aration Nelson can fit himself to regain
the cnaniplonshlp. there will bo no sor
row In sporldmiT. As a worker-uo
and a champion. Nelson was a credit
to the game. II was cleau-llving and
as honest as the daylight.
Those who lost money by backing
Nelson are wondering why they did
not suspect Ad of Ihe ability to lower
tht) Durable Dane's i olnrs. Here's a
line of argument that may provide a
portion of the answer:
In Han Francisco Nelson has been
seen against clever boxers, men who
pitted their knowledge of the science
of hitting against the Dane's wonder
ful ruggedness. These fellows as a rule
backed away from Nelson and when
they were leg weary he closed In on
them and beat them down.
In Wolgast, Nelson met a man after
his own heart.' one who haa no nervs,
as It were; and who Is absolutely re
gardless of consequences. Wolgaxt
did some backing up, but during CO per
cent of the time allotted to the fighting '
he was close against the Battler Slum
ming away lu thn style Nelson ' whs
supposed to excel In. It was, one might !
say, a ring-worn Buttling Nelson
against a younger and rnoro vigorous
Battling Nelson.
Kven at butting supposed to be Ncl
son's long suit the Michigan lad held ''
his own. I wouldn't undertake to eay
who started thn billy goat method of
warfare, and for that matter there Is ,
u suspicion that It began by mutual ,,
cons. ut. hut Wolgast took to It like .
a duck to water. t
I have no doubt that when Nelson
iilsco , re,t he was against a youngster -who
was willing to crack foreheads and
not cry for quarter, he must havu felt -that
Wolgast was made of sterner -stuff
(lieu Ihe men he had met before, '
Makes Championship Open. '
It Is believed thai with Nelson out.
of the lists the championship question
ha a more open look. Wnile the Dur- ,
able Dane held the fort, or guarded the.
gales, he was a Ccrehus that U was
hard to get past This. In a way, was
suggested by Joe Gang' challenge to
the winner, and It can be safely reckon- -ed
that unite a number of lightweights
will follow Hans' lead and ask for . .
match with the new champion. 5
Already tinre are scattering argu
ments to the effect that it wasn't Wol
gast's fighting qualities so much as
.Nelson's Impaired endurance that work
ed the Battlers downfall that Wol
gast was simply lucky and that there
are iulte a number of lightweights
who can relieve Ad of his bay leaves If
given h cluinee
This all helps to stimulate trade and
relieves the cnampionshlp of tho one
nian aspect It had while Nelson ruled
the roost.
Bad Day for Champion.
Washington's birthday, by tho way, .
was a bad day for champions. While
Wolgast was thumping his way to vic
tory at ltlehinond near San Francisco,
Frank Conley was hammering Monte
Aliell into submission at the Vernon
arena near Los Angeles.
Monle for u year or two past claimed
the bantam cnampionshlp f America
and until he stacked up against Dunny
Wi bhler and Conley It wasn't easy to
find an opponent who could make lilnV.
extend himself.
to see the 12 mentioned appoint players
lo look after their Interests, while the
other four will sign non-players. Be
that as It may, the bench manager
plays In a ball game Just as union as
his brother who Is one of the regular
men of the nine."
This Hate in Sport Annals.
IMS Fred Foulkes, champion racguot
player, died at New York.
1W At New York. the National
leagii,; admitted lo membership the In
dianapolis club, which had purchased
the St. Louis franchise. 1
1SU1 -At Boston Austin Gibbons de
feated Mike Daly in 31 rounds.
lK!'.r At Baltimore, joe Gans won
from Sol Kngllsh In 10 rounds.
l'.io; At Grand Rapids, Harry Lewis
fined $10I) for his share in fight on No
vember IS, which resulted In the death
of his opponent, Mike Ward.
Larry Antolne, perhaps the best
hlttir the Trl-Clty has ever had, will
no longer delight the fans with his
long drives. Larry has taken to fann
ing, having bought a Hood River or
chard, and can make more money In a
day at Hood BJver than he could in a
year at Twenty-fourth and Vaughn.
Gardner, the Junky twlrler for the
Vancouver Northwest league team, will
probably coach one of the local lnter
schelastie teams this spring, before re
porting to his manager. "Bub's" pro
fessional experience will be a big help
to the team lucky enough to get his
services as coach.
Hughle Duffy. Whlte'So manager antTono Urae loading batter.
jmrnmrnmvm !- " WMWUg'W'lM! 11 Ml L. .M.U. "...mi, mi -.
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