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Our Page of Live Sporting News
The World's Athletes in Story and Pictures
6E0RGE SISLER IS BETTER ALL-ROUND
PLAYER THAN BABE RUTH, SAYS RICKEY
'■BAWXurr/
MAX CAREY DECLARES I SOME OF MOST FAMOUS BASEBALL STARS
FIRST GAME HARDEST BEGAN CAREERS IN STATE OF GEORGIA
Roger Bresnahan Got Him Rat-
tied by Continuous Chatter.
Wm Injected Into Pastime In Eighth
Inning With Score Tied, Two on
Bases and Two Out—Made
Good With Triple.
"I will always regard the first game
f ever played in the Notional league
as the one which brought me face
to face with the tightest pinch of my
baseball career," said Max Carey re-
cently.
"I had Just reported to the Pittsburgh
club at St. Louis. It was during the
fag end of the season of 1910 and I
was getting my first major league
trial.
"An outfield composed of Fred Clarke,
Tommy Leach, Chief Wilson and Vlnce
Campbell meant faint hope for a
youngster of twenty who wanted to
make good. But Clarke gave me a
chance, sure enough, and the pinch
Into which I was Injected came In the
eighth Inning with the score tied, 2
and 2, two out nnd two on the bases.
"Roger Bresnahan, catching for the
Cardinals, let out a line of chatter
that made me think I was In a hotel
lobby fanning bee. He signaled Benny
Hearne, the pitcher, for a fast ball.
Then he stopped the game, walked out
In an epoch of tottering thrones
Babe Ruth, all-round monarch of the
diamond, would better be looking after
the props of his empire. For—We
have the word of President Branch
Rickey of the Cardinals for this—in
St. Louis there is one player who can
depose the Boston marvel and himself
assume the title of "most useful player
In the game," with Just a little encour-
agement.
This player, Rickey avers, can out-
bit, outpltch, outrun and outthlnk
Ruth; he can fill more positions than
Babe Ruth and piny any or all of them
better. He has more aggressiveness,
more daring—more everything, In
short, save only snlary and reputa-
tion. The only reason this star has
not already utterly eclipsed Ruth In
fame, popularity and salary Is that he
Is a victim of poor exploitation and
too great personal modesty.
Soft-Spoken Fighter.
SIsler—yes, that's the fellow Rickey
has In mind—a soft-spoken fighter, a
velvet-pawed tiger when roused, Is a
player whose powers of concentration
(according to Rickey) enable him to
1111 not only acceptably but In a mas-
terly style any position assigned to
him.
In an Interview the Cards' leader
explained his optimism regarding SIs-
ler's future. Rickey has the right
to discuss SIsler, because he discov-
ered him as a college star at Michi-
gan university. Jockeyed him out of
the possession of Barney Dreyfuss Into
the hands of the St. Louis Browns,
■nd they gave him his first big league
Instruction.
It Pay* to Advertise.
"Babe Ruth fills the public eye,"
Rickey said, "not only because he Is a
great pitcher and hitter, but because
the fullest use has been made of him
to advertise his strength In these two
departments. Babe can pitch In
world's championship form and clout
a home run over the fence; he can
clean the bases In a pinch, and he can
bring his heavy artillery Into dally
play by handling a first base or out-
field position acceptably.
"In this respect he, however, does
not surpass or even equal SIsler.
George Is as great or a greater pitcher
than Ruth. I know this. He showed
me his quality In major league games,
too. Look back at his record If you
don't believe this. As a batter and
all around plnyer, I leave the records
to show his ability as compared with
Babe. He batted .337 last year to
Ruth's .297; he led the league In steal-
ing bases In an abbreviated season,
distancing Cobb and the other stars of
the American league.
Fourth In Fielding.
"He was fourth first baseman In
fielding percentage; as an outfielder
he showed wonderful promise. His
great covering ability, fine throwing
arm and daring would make him a
star at any position, where Ruth
would be merely a defensive filler-ln,
tolerated because of his hitting. Save
for the pitching his superiority to
Ruth will not be disputed by anyone,
and I myself am certain that he Is
also Ruth's pitching master.
"Why Is it that Ruth Is so much
more prominent than SIsler, and
draws twice as much salary as the
St. Loulsan? The answer Is that SIs-
ler hns not been exploited beyond 50
per cent of his publicity vnlue, and
not nltere than 70 per cent of his play-
ing efficiency."
■nunsaar
Max Carey.
PIRATES SIGN ED SWEENEY
Former Star Catcher of New York
Americans Goes to Pittsburgh for
Infielder Gets.
Big Ed Sweeney, star catcher of the
Kew Tork Americans for several yenr%
who for some unknown reason drift-
ed to the minors, returns to fast com-
AOTTS ofthe
DIAMOND
Efforts to revive the old Nebraska
State league have failed.
• • •
Cliarley Herxog paid no Income tax
this year. The Boston Nationals paid
• • •
Herbert Thormahlen can pitch. Also
he can sing. He's the Marty McHale
of the Yanks.
o e •
Joe Schults. the former Dodger, has
been purchased from Kansaa City by
the St. Louis Nationals.
• • •
Brazil, a recruit Infielder with the
Dodgers, connected for the first home
run of the training season la a g-"—
at Jacksonville.
• o •
Outfielder Acosta, formerly with the
Washington club, will cavort la the
sutfield for the Louisville club during
the coming
and called the left fielder. Rebel Onkes,
to come In several steps, and cam*
back to the plate with:
" 'Let's see how you look on a curve.'
"Well, I swung on the next pitched
ball and swung hard.
"Bang went my bat against that
leather, and It sure felt good. Zing
went that ball over Rebel's head for
three bases, and we won the game.'
STAR IN BRAVES' OUTFIELD
Joe Rlggert, Drafted From 8t Paul
Club, Expected to Make Good
This 8eason.
The Braves have evidently picked op
a player who may be worth much to
them this season. He Is Joe Rlggert.
drafted from the St. Paul club of the
American association.
Rlggert, who Is an outfielder, took
part In all the games played by hta
team last season and finished with a
batting average of .325. ne made a
total of 191 safe swats, and 29 of them
were for extra bases. He was credited
with making six home runs. He ac-
cepted 218 chances In the field out of
a possible 220, giving him a fielding
average of .991.
A few years ago Rlggert received a
try-out with the Red Sox. but he waa
unable to make the team.
' la Ike gafk ef a Pirate. Sweeaej
* (Na tka Nek dak la
Oh Gets aad
Ward Miller, a veteran outfielder,
has been secured by the Kansas City
American association dab (na Salt
Lake City la exchange far Jlaay Volx.
• e e
Knight, who has aude taaay asm
oa baseball's ckeaa beard, will play for
Seattle next eeaaoa. Jack la alwaya
twined to pat rival baseball k}ags la
cheek. "
a a a
Joe BoefcUafa effects ta w k*A
with the Clerdaad
| CURVE BALL BY EXPRESS
Joe Bees and Paal Nawrr.
while with the Whlto .Sox at
Mineral Wells oa one training
trip, had a lot of fan talking
about their carve ball, oae
aftenooa Joe went ap ta tka
«ofarai porter aaacd Dee aad
aafcattf-
•a yet.
"*•« an expectlag Itr
Dee. la all mil—iaa.
"Tea, ITa caartag by
nmn Joe. Be rttmf Dee a
aew aad aee V ITa ta.'
Oaa kaaOed away.
m.
Tyrus Raymond Cobb and Napoleon
Rucker are not the only famous play-
ers who can hark bock to the start
of their baseball days In the balmy
climate of Georgia.
Some of the famous men of the dla
mond, exclusive of the sensational Ti
ger and once brilliant southpaw of the
Dodgers, began careers In Georgia that
vaulted them to the pinnacle of their
profession.
An old man who has spent his years
keeping tabs on ball players and peach
crops was sitting In the park where
the Tigers were training at Macon,
whittling on a piece of wood with a
robust blade the site of a young scythe.
Fan Never Mlaaea Game.
He is an ardent fan, misses a game
only when he can't get out of bed be-
cause of rheumatism, and knowa every
ball player that ever fingered a ball in
the South Atlantic league circuit.
He remembers how Ty Cobb, more
than fourteen years ago, then a boy
Just barely turned seventeen, packed
the fans in the Macon ball yard Just
as he attracts them to the big atadl
ums of the North. He recalled, too,
how the Macon fans quit on the man-
agement when in mldsenson. It sold
''Rube" Benton to the Cincinnati
Reds.
Phil Douglas, now a star with the
Cubs, and Jim Vaughn, who led the Na-
tional league pitchers last season, re-
ceived their first check for playing ball
from the local management.
Boycott Because of Benton.
Veteran fan has distinct recollection
of Benton and the riot his sale caused.
"You couldn't get standing room in
the park," explained the old man, "be-
BASEBALL
5TORIE5
Harry Hooper will be captain of the
Ited Sox this year.
• e e
Vhe San Antonio dob baa secured
Infielder Clyde Delate from St. PaaL
e e a
Like Ebert, the preddeet of acw
Germany, Bob Shawkey wean a peart
stickpin.
fore Benton left here, but after that
nobody would come to the games."
Strangely enough, every man of
whom the oldster related played with
a pennant winner. Cobb was on three,
in 1907, 1908 and 1900; Rucker was a
member of the Brooklyn team that
won the National league flag in 1916,
and last year both Douglas and
Vuughn shared In the spoils of the
world's series games Mth Boston.
CAUSE OF RACKSTOP
MEYERS'RETIREMENT
Manager Irwin of Rochester
Team Relates Story.
Couldn't Figure Out Play Where VI*
Itlng Player Bunted With Two
Strikes, Three on Bases and
Scored Four Runs,
Chief Meyers, the former Giant and
Brooklyn catcher, Is through with
baseball. The chief is going to atlefe
down on the farm.
Arthur Irwin, manager of tha
Rochester team of the International
league, recently told the story of what
he thinks was the direct cause of
Meyera' retirement from the national
game.
"The chief," aald Erwln, "waa eat-
ing last year for Buffalo In the Inte
national. He was not going too we_
when my Rochester team came to Bnf<
falo In August to play a series.
"My players stole a lot of bases oq
the chief. In one game two of than
atole home.
"The play that utterly disgusted
Meyers with baseball, however, oc-
curred in a game that Buffalo waa
winning until the eighth inning.
"We were three runs behind In that
session, when we filled the bases with
two out. Bobby Orr was at bat, and
when he had two strikes on him the
Buffalo Infield moved back a bit.
"Orr then hit a swinging bant
toward second base. The second base-
man was caught off balance, bnt
dashed in and for aome reason or
other after picking up the ball elected
*o make a play at the plate.
"The throw came In low and Meyera
missed it It hit him on the shin and
bounded toward the stand.
"The chief waa after It quickly. He
saw Orr tearing for second base aa be
LOVE HAS FRACTURED ELBOW
Tiger Pitcher 8ecured From New
York Americana Meeta With
Aocident to Pitching Wing.
"Slim" Love, pitcher on the Detroit
team, obtained from the New Tork
Americans, haa a fractured arm. For
The Kaaaaa City dab la aald to ba
banking on Carmen Hill aa a pftehar
Ospt Ed Lafltte, the >aau Mg
leagae frltchcr. arrived loai t
day from Fnam
Chief Meyera.
picked up the ball. So he threw for
that bag and the bail hit Orr oa tka
aboolder aa he did.
"It bounced Into the outfield thia
time. Before It could be recovered
Orr had cantered over the plate with
the fourth ran scored on his bant It
was the winning run of the game.
"1 aaw Meyera afterward. 1 caa*t
figure them la thia league,' he aald.
'Bunting with two atrlkea and three
on and aeoring four runs I Thatln
mora than enough for me.'"
several days be baa heea
aoe bis ana aad aa X-ray a 
skewed a fracture la the dhow. Lore
• fuae ta hie kern la MlaaladMil.
aad later will be treated la a hos-
pital la
BIG SNOOT FORJMSMIMTOt
Pdaiipal Sweat ef Aatadaaa Ti^
tea «e Be MeM
of km
(MOTT KNOW n COBB
Many freak thlags have hap-
pened la the young Ufa ef Saba
Scbaaer, fmanly with the
Giants aad wka waa wttk Ike
Athletics aatU drafted lata mili-
tary service. However, tka beat
aaa aa tka Babe la tke tkae bo
pttcked Svo iaatagx agalnat De-
troit la aa asMMUoa game,
fhtBllag that Oacar Vttt waa
ft Osbk. The Qlaata kaew that
V Brbaaer woaM pMck ta Osbb
■at knowing It waa TykawaaM
Bat hf all rtgkt. Ikey
oat Vttt aad*
bag yea gst ta
aa Vttt, a