Show STORY OF TOPSY veteran outa elder of philadelphia athletics was handicapped Handi at start because of size by topsy harts I 1 it took me a long time to get right in baseball but only a minute start the greatest handicap I 1 had when I 1 was trying to get started was my size you see down at polk 0 they thought I 1 was a great player and we had an old player there who taught me to play the game I 1 began playing before I 1 was ten years old and was on the high school and town teams when I 1 was fifteen I 1 was five feet tour four inches tall and we ched then about pounds I 1 played around with the teams in our section of the coun try and was m as determined to become a professional player we ne had few chances to learn much and when I 1 finally tina lly got a job with the burlington la club in 1897 1 I must have been as green a bisher bi sher as there was I 1 was fat fact but in that league they seemed to think I 1 was too small to play and I 1 went to montgomery then to salem ohio and f nally reached grand rapids mich it was there I 1 really started the grand rapids team then was a sort of farm tor for big league clubs and a bunch of elpe fenced and really good placers were there here I 1 learned rapidly then and began to see where 1 was shy I 1 found I 1 had been making mistakes and mi misplay in the game in many ways and still thinking I 1 was doing it right because no one ever had bad told me how bow I 1 should do lo 10 irvil e too me me from grand rap ds then indian got me and effin final 11 v I 1 landed with the chicago tat nat league team I 1 think I 1 p ayed better ball there than I 1 ever die did besides I 1 I 1 lad ad learned a ml ole lot ot about batting and had bad a good opportunity to st idy p ers it was mas at chicago that I 1 had my best hitting year and my best base running hearons and I 1 attribute all my success there to the study of the opposing pitchers A bae base r inner especially ought to be familiar with every trick and move of every op J 3 T 11 ap 1 1 ae 1 7 r aw W 4 topsy hartsel posing pitcher I 1 found that out when I 1 went ment into the american league eague in 1902 with the athletics many of the pitchers were new to ne me and I 1 made many breaks in base running before I 1 learned their styles md and their tricks I 1 hid had to begin all ver over again to study tl it em and it d d ne me more good than before because of t the experience in the national eague league experience and do clo e st dv of th tb game ame and the men who play it are necessary lec essary to ft access and if it there I 1 any lesson in my experience in gettin sl arted that may be of val ie to i ew nen men it Is that any man no n atter how bow good must think and study all the ime time the st stirling is easy for play ers rs are in demand but the finish IQ 1 quick unless tl e pla er Is m elling to vork work and learn |