Show ALWAYS WAS A BALL PLAYER roger bresnahan manager and cap tain of st louis cardinals tells of his start by ROGER BRESNAHAN copyright 1910 by joseph B bowles when asked to tell how I 1 got my start I 1 came near backing out then I 1 thought that perhaps my experiences might help young fellows I 1 made so many starts that I 1 hardly know where I 1 did start I 1 always was a ball player and from the time I 1 could play even decently I 1 wanted to play professionally now the first point in my advice to young fellows is this that they find out where they belong and what they want to do before they try anything this I 1 think applies to other lines of 0 business as well nell as to baseball A young player who Is seriously think ing of going into baseball as a pro bession ought to study himself and study the game he ile ought to decide f tor or himself just what position he Is best equipped to fill and then study that position until he knows all the angles and all the difficulties he must adapt himself to a certain style of play adapt his throwing to that position and study it I 1 say this be cause baseball has become a game of specialists and a third baseman Is as different from a shortstop as a catch er is from a center fielder the throw Is different and the style of handling ground balls entirely changed I 1 know these things because I 1 did not know when I 1 started to play ball where I 1 belonged and this lack 01 ol knowledge of myself came near send ing me to the bush leagues for life or out of the business entirely it was only my ability to hit that kept me in the game long enough to discover that I 1 was a catcher As a boy I 1 had play ed all positions pitched caught and played both the infield and outfield an and instead ns ea of realizing that I 1 was making a mistake I 1 rather prided my self on the fact that I 1 was an all round player As a result when I 1 started out professionally I 1 found my self jack of all trades and master of none I 1 started as a pitcher I 1 had 0 KI P IT A ay roger bresnahan immense speed was wild and didn dian t know the first thing about pitching except to heave the ball and curve it which is just the start of pitching I 1 would adv se all players to st ch cli to one position and learn that it if a man learns one position well he ha has about bout all he can do in the big beag es |