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Show TRUE STORY OF COLLINS. The public always regards with some degree of enmity the agent that destroys de-stroys a popular' illusion, belief, superstition, super-stition, or a good story. This Is particularly par-ticularly true of the baseball public. The enthusiasts of the national pastime cherish all the bits of gossip they read or hear concerning their Idols and accept ac-cept them without question. They repeat re-peat them to their friends, and. there Is no prouder person than the "thirty-third "thirty-third degree fan" with an audience of lesser degrees willing to listen to' his tales of how this and that diamond star began his cnreeij' or made his reputation. reputa-tion. For years "fans" of all degrees have been told the story of how Jimmy Collins, the heartily admired manager of the Boston American leaguers, became be-came a great third baseman by accident, acci-dent, some say even against his will. They all have heard how the Boston National league team drafted him from Buffalo, where he had made his mark as an outfielder But because Frank Selee had no room for him In the outfield, out-field, Collins was loaned to the Louisville Louis-ville club, then in the National league One day Louisville's third baseman was hurt and Barney Dreyfuss, at his wit's end for a substitute, begged Collins to fill the gap. Whereat, without any previous pre-vious experience on the Infield, Colllm-Jumped Colllm-Jumped In, surprised himself and the whole baseball world by becoming one of the greatest "thlrdsackers" In the game's history. The pattern la a prettv one, but the woof Is tissue paper. The facts arc Collins was a born third baseman base-man and knew It, but was forced to play out of position for years. And the only accident about It was tho one which gave him the chance he had been wailing for. Collins began playing third base aa soon as he was graduated from the "one old cat" class. He played It aa an amateur on the sand lots of Buffalo, Buf-falo, then as a semi-professional with the old North Buffalo team, where he attracted tho attention of the late James B. Franklin, then owner of the BufTalo Eastern league club. But Franklin had third basemen and ln-fielders ln-fielders enough, so put Collins In the outfield for his batting. Because of his great natural talent, Collins shone aa an outfielder in the minor leagues and, although Franklin vwas besought by Collins and advised by Buffalo enthusiasts, enthu-siasts, who had seen him play on the lots, to put him In the Infield, he was kept In the outfield until he attracted Selee's attention and went to Boston. The rest of the pretty story Is true. I except that, when accident gave him the chance at third In Louisville. Collins Col-lins surprised neither himself nor the friends of his boyhood In Buffalo by his success. The man who spoiled this good story was one of them and his name Is Amos G. Batchelder, secretary of the Automobile Association of America. |
