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Show Tris Speaker Played as a Right-Handed Right-Handed T wirier When at Age of 6 . TRIS SPEAKER. Texas .Youngster Changes to Left When Right Arm Is Injured. TBIS SPEAKER of the Boston Rod Sox, whon members of tho Chalmers commission awarded a motor car as the American league player most valuable to iub team during the season of 1012, began his baseball career as a right-handed pitcher iustoad of a Jeft-hamicd outfielder, out-fielder, writes Ilnrvoy T. Woodruff. This is to say, Speaker began his baseball career as a right-handed pitcher, pitch-er, if we may date that career back to the timo when ho was 6 years old. and a leader among tho voungstcrs or Hubbard, Tcxns, who chose up sides, and played match games after school was dismissed. "Spoke" a nickname of the early days, which has stuck through the major "leagues always was one of tho first chosen in thost. game's, because of his ability to tlrrow speedily to the batters. The change from right to the left hand came when Speaker was S years old. Thrown from a horse, tho fall resulted in the fracture of two boncn in tho lower arm and one in the upper arm. As soon as ho oould heave a ball without jarring his right side too much. Tris was out practicing with his left hand, and oven beforo cho bones of his right arm were fully knit he had acquired enough mastory of the southpaw dclivory to be in demand again for the pickup games. Speaker's metamorphosis from a pitci bcr to an outfielder did not come until many years later, after he had embarked on his professional career at Oleburno, in the fall of 1906. Hard Luck Pitcher. Perhaps what he regarded as a "jink" at that time saved Speakor from being a mediocre pitcher Instead of ono ofT the greatest outfielders in the history of the game. The other follows did not hit Speaker hard, but he simply could not winv Bje was what wo now often characterize as a "hard luck" pitcher. After hurling and losing los-ing five or six games a groat light broke on tho manager and ne decided to utilize Speaker 's groat batting value daily in the outfiefd. That was the last, of TriB Speaker aB a pitcher. Taking up this talo chronologically, Tristram Speaker was born on April 4, 1S88, according to his own statement, state-ment, at Hubbard, Texas,, where his father, now dead, was engaged in tho dry goods business. His mother, a brother, and six sistors aro living. Tris was a ball player from his1 days of earliest memory and pitched for the illjf! grammar and high school nines, con- tinulng as a hurler while attending the S HpB' 1 Polytechnic college of Port Worth in .IsOwr 1905 and 1906. Whilo still going to school he t worked in a cottonseed oil amM mill, starting at the bottom and work- MB w ing up to be a boss at $165 a month. jRJll':, by 1007. lp 'Got $50 Per Month. IS!; As the mill was in operation only Mr ' during tho winter and early summer, l;f Tris found timo to travel around with ,V 1 1. independent eluba, receiving his car m fare and a share in the gate roceipts 'sjlb when there was a Barplus. So in the " jjS p j I fall of 1906 ho acceptod a position at flip ; a salary of $50 per month with tho Ole- i , lfl;r i burne club in tho Northern Texas wilt ' league, going back to his mill job that : f H v winter. It was with Cleburne that i tf ( he could not win as a pitcher, so be- n'f camo an outfielder, 'hPI' ' In 1907 the Cleburne club was trans- 'Sfffii forrod to Houston, with a franchise in wli' the Texas .league, whore Speaker bat- jaaflj! tod .314 in 11a games, and ranked fifth Sflxii?' among the league swatsmen. That fall ho was bought by tho Boston Red Sox. 'mflljj 'j He took part in two games and got two jfj!f i 1 hits in four times at oat, but evidently Sfiili '; failed to create, much of an impression, - iSjjfcl t for ho says he did not recolvo a eon- wSl' tract from Manager McGuire, and con- siderod himself a free agent in the flreBfs spring of 190S. Pittsburg camo forward with an of- jJSlf1!' fer of. $10,000 for the release of the promising youngster, and ho and Mana- SSBi1 ger Finn sat up until 2 o'clock one morning trying to persuado President jsIlJc Ruthor, now dead, to raako tho deal, iMf'w for Speaker and Pinn had been prom- 121'l'ii ised $3000 extra by a Pittsburg emls- ml! I Bary if tho deal went through. Biit President Rather said he had givon IS Jl his word to Boston, and Tris went to tfi tho Red Sox in the fall. iff .rf Developed at Little Rock. If I'll "Mike Finn, manager of the Little , 'Ift jifr Rock club, was to get a player prac- Jl M A tically for tho use of his grounds for flgaB1 our spring training. He wanted Speak- " ts'-f ; 1 cr, and r tried to givo him Whlteman. mSb IN Ho insisted upon gotting Speaker, so iSffW'l it was arranged that way. tjTCfi In the fall of 1908, with Boston, KrIIm Speaker batted only .220 in thirty-ono i gamos, but has been over tho .300 mark j; MM Q ovory voar sinco, nlways dangerous in , ' n a pinch, and a great cleanup batter. fftMi' This season ho is pressing Joe Jnckson j Ef jj and Ty Cobb for the premier position. SSfffijJ His groat speed, which contributed its wt!lRl part to the nickname "Speed Boys," wWtf which had a vogue for some timo, en- SSffr allies Speaker to play in closer than iMPiil most outfielders for short hits, and still jJUhfr got back for tho long ones. Um 'M Speaker stands nearly six foct tall, Iw'ft'lli and in playing condition weighs about OTjailJi' 17S pounds. He is not marrlocL FJj lltff |
