Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-05-01 | Page 26 | Playboy Rollie Becomes Really Great Backstop

Rollicking Rollie By By Pap Pap 1 I. I I Ip p t M Ply I w t-w COLLIE r WAS A V IF WAS OME e- e 1 APTE t r I Ia a y HM I SUCCESS t ORNSBY REFORMED HIM UP VP I I M H D A MAPE A A AT I Li STA b OF OP RIM Playboy Rollie Becomes Really Great Backstop By Ass Associated Press Rogers Hornsby certainly did a neat job of changing Rollie p Hemsley from a rollicking playboy who had outlived his usefulness in n the National league into one of the he leading catchers in the Ameri Amen can league Hemsley had been with the Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pitts- Pitts burgh Pirates the Chicago Cubs and the he Cincinnati Reds and had earned the he unenviable reputation of being hard to handle Ho He was a fine I catcher mechanically but refused to o be bound by conventional training training train train- ing ng rules He loved to step out and have lave a good time and more more often orten than not wound up in trouble A year was about all ho could last Jast with any club Finally Finay the Cincinnati Reds turned him over o to the St St. Louis Browns for the tho waiver price after other National league clubs had passed him up That was in m 1933 Fighting Fighting- Type Hornsby announced at the time that hat Hemsley was just the type of ban ball player he was looking for a for a fighting ball player That was for tor public consumption More than likely In the privacy I of his locker room Rogers counseled in this fashion 1 Now you listen isten to me you me-you you young I and so-and-so and so you'll do as as' I tell you I or youre you're through in the big big leagues The National league wants no more of f your nonsense and the American league managers will want want- no part of ot you If It you cant can't behave yourself You have the makings of ot a R real catcher but you OU wont won't get any anyplace anyplace anyplace place until you learn the importance of discipline and abide by the rul rules s of training Im I'm going to see that you do both with the Browns If you dont don't Ill I'll kick you out out and and that that- means that you ou wont won't find another another another an an- other job in the big show T Takes Advice Rollie Rollic reso resolved ed to h heed ed Hornsby's s advice and for qu quite le a R spell gave a good imitation of at a man walking the straight and narrow path Hornsby ironed out some of ot his b batting faul faults and before long had Hemsley one of the m most st discussed players player in the league Managers who had h-ad failed to figure a a. way of handling him rubbed their eyes In amazement Th The Browns turned down several tempting g offers for him and in 1934 were rewarded with some fine wor work behind the plate on the part of th the reborn Rollie He caught games game that season and batted