Show r FAMOUS J JO O S WAHOO SAM CRAWFORD t Rs IS WITH U US US' I I I 0 0 g Angel Outfielder fi r Tells c s Us Something About His Career cc gi i Q GET LOTS OF REST SAYS GREAT OLD PLAYER I I Wahoo Sam they used to call him In the big bio show and the name nanie f Implies all the terror that a big stick 1 propelled by byI a I pair of massive shoulders Iders I ders tiers and guided by an unerring eye I II can arouse This great old ball player play- play I er Cr who with Ty Cobb once composed I 80 per pCr cent of the offensive strength of the Detroit club Is now flOW In Salt I Lake as aa a member of the Los Angeles An An- Dele geles club II This department has Induced the I famous Sam to tell us something about his career Sam Is not a word painter His trade Is breaking fences II I and disfiguring baseballs by smiting smiling I them heftily and for this he has long drawn a I goodly stipend from his employers em employers em- em I ploy rs and for many years drew an equal amount at the big league box offices i I By Sam Crawford Crawl ord T I it hat had not been Iwen fur Iv John tk McI Mc- Mc a I I a 1 chum hurn of mine mille of I years year's standing l I might aught ht L be IC 10 in iii Wahoo Neb Nob el pla playing in independent in- in dependent baseball In between times limes with never even en so much h as Its a 1 poop at a bl big lC league t learn cain in action STARTS AS S PITCH PITCHER ER It lt was alue who brought rou ht mo out Ho lie was a n youngster ster with me In lii that section of Nebraska l' We Ve were both playing Independent baseball but he was vas discovered cr cl In III the hru brush bruth h hand and exported to the Canadian league He lie Heas was as a n pitcher and so was I. I Funny Isn't It It how man many ball hlll players play ida ers era start out as ns pitchers rs' rs Guess Its It's bec because uHe when wo we w were rc kl kids s' s we wo thought because e we threw the ball hall oftener than titan the rest cost wo we were wOre the he principal bolts In the thc whole engine And we weren't far wrong at that In tho those e days das It J generally was the pitcher pitch pitch- er cr who was the best player captain and mana manager el of his teme team te Well ell e II egl went vent ali and I when ho he came back hack at the ent end of the season season sea sea- son he lie was till full of bl big lea league ue Ideas as w he termed them thorn Ho Ito poured them into me one all winter and aud I thou thought ht he lie was tas some pumpkin If Ie I the time wish that I J could get et into that league once I must have ha expressed It easIly one thousand times In the Lie meantime halne had written to the tho management of the time Chatham club climb of the Canadian lea league l c boo boosting m my ability to the skies Killing tellIng tell Kill In ing them what a n great pitcher I was wasand wasand and anti what a help I would be he to tho tim team tam He lie had made good and his word counted for something so the they wrote me to trail along with McElvaine Mc- Mc EI alne when he reported the time following follow follow- ing big spring I did an and that was tho the opening wedge with which I pried myself Into baseball HIS IS REAL DEBUT IN GAME Hut But the real beginning was back luck luckIn In Wahoo ahoo while I was still running around In knickerbockers We e hall had hadan hallan an amateur nine out there and I still rate rato It as I one of the best ever when the average a age of the players Is taken Into consideration Anti And nd t then came camp thin th chance for fOl mo mn I f I I II I II I I II I I I i I b t I f I J W-s W s Ic I I a- a i I r p. p f i. i Id t 3 Mt M- M ff ff's s SAM CRAWFORD to pia play independent baseball In and aroun around m my home I was 17 In 1897 when thou I 1 Joined time lIw est esl Point Neb team I played with It U through that season seaon anti and the following year ear cast In my fortunes J with tho time and nd Superior club That was the time year before I humped bumped Into the he Canadian league and that brings mc me up sip to the time that thai I Joined the Chatham club Of course cours the Chatham club did dIol not carr carry an overabundance of or ball ballplayers players and I could hit a little so 80 when I was not pitching I quite frequently fro fre was sas played In the outfield for fOI m my hitting hilling The he club climb lasted until July luly when when when-a a shortage e of funds lunds made It necessary to lo disband With the th team Icam had hail been beOn beena beOna a pitcher named George Cross Cros He lie hall had b been en lent to lo Chatham bv hv the Co- Co lumbus club climb of or the Western league to strengthen Chatham I and In lieu of his services eer tho the Chatham club cluba a agreed rte to permit him to take tako any ono of Its Us players ers back to Columbus with him when that team should recall him HOMER WITH DASES BASES FULL When Chatham went broke broko he ho p PC- PC me mc We Ve had hael not been with Columbus one month when the tho franchise fran fran- chise was transferred to Grand Gran Rap Rap- Ids ida I 1 remember well one game that Grand Rapids played a against Minneapolis Minne Minne- apolis I was wait pitching for Grand RapIds RapIds Rap Rap- Ids Ida nn and up until the tho seventh Inning I held them In the meantime we scored several runs runK In the eighth they pounded me for seven runs rums and andI andI I was wan r relieved lIe by lIy another pitcher I who had bad been hecim playing the due outfield antI and I J was sent to 10 the outfield to take lake his place I Now ow here's heres the funny part of oC the story In tho the In last t Inning I 1 went to I bat There were two runners on time the bases If I remember correctly and I we needed three runs Tuns to win I hit the ball hail over the fence elwe for Cor a D. home run rumi and Grand Rapids won It It was waR In the autumn of or that year car IS that the Cincinnati National league club claimed m my services I had har Just passed paRsed my nineteenth birthday birth birth- da day The Time National l league was waR then a n twelve club league I Joined on September Sep Sop 9 9 and Ufo time first day I was sent to the thc outfield to lo pIa play In a double header In the first game gamo Cincinnati Clo- Clo pla played ed Cleveland and in the second game ame we wo played Louisville I had a particularly good day at atthe atthe atthe the bat I think that I mado rondo five hits In Iho tImo two games JUMPS TO DETROIT I finished the season seaon with the tho Reds and played laell through 1900 an and 1901 with them but at the end of oC the latter season ason I Jumped to Detroit The following year ear 1 I Jumped back to lo lotho tho the Reds Red hut but when the American anti and National lea leagues uA became reconciled so o to lo speak p ak I was wae declared to be the property 0 of the Tigers and anti I remained there until this spring when I decided to remain In the good ool old West cst and Joined Johnny Powers and Wade ade at al Los A Angeles You ask lo to what I attribute my abIlIty as an a hitter hiller Condition I think more than anything else Of course I have Im always alwa's believed that a hatter batter Is born and not made i A natural hitler hitter hitter hit hit- ter ler will undoubtedly become a better batter with coaching but he must list have some rome a ability bill t first tIt t. t If It a man k keeps eplI in good physical condition his eye Is bound to be clear To attain condition I I. I before Lefor everything everything every cry thIn thing else elso advocate sleep Early to lo lobed tobed bed hed anti and early to rJ rise rife e Is Ii one of the greatest and most useful of all proverbs pro proy- orbs erbs In m my t. t estimation E Even If ono one does floes not fe lee eel sleepy It Is a good thing to go 0 to bed early arl antI and rest While stretched out on omi a n bed Lcd all nil of oC th the muscles muscles mus mus- cles des are arc relaxed The They are arc given a chance to rebuild their strength which has haR to lo he be used during n J t th tho h day |