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Show LIKE MATTY, LANNIN IS CHECKER EXPERT Magnate One of Most Capable Players in Country. Long Before Owner of Boston Red 8o Ever Thought of Becoming Owner of Champion Baseball Team He Was Checker Fan. Baseball fans have hoard so much about Ihe expertness of Christy Malhewson in checkers they have boon led to believe that Big Six is without a rival in the ranks of organized baseball. Such is not the case, bow-ever, bow-ever, for Joseph J. Lannin, erstwhile owner of the Boston Red Sox and leading lead-ing spirit in the International league, when he is In practice can give Christy Chris-ty the game of his life at the checkerboard. checker-board. Long before Lannin became identified identi-fied with baseball he was a checker fan. Not only did he indulge in the game for his own amusement and pastime, pas-time, but he hacked with his bankroll some of the leading checker players In the United States. Long before Mr. Lannin ever thought of becoming the owner of a world's champion baseball team bis thoughts were on checkers. lie was only eighteen years old when his interest turned to the game up In Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, lie soon perfected his play to such a degree that he vanquished all the so-called country store champions In the locality. Then he set about to conquer the champs of the towns In the immediate vicinity. As a member mem-ber of the Boston Checker club he took part in a great number of club matches and often traveled long distances dis-tances to see matches played. Less than ten years ago he traveled from Boston to Toledo to watch a match in which a player he had backed was engaged. en-gaged. He was rewarded for his pains by seeing his player lose. Mr. Lannin has always believed that checkers were In no small way responsible for the success of Mathew-son Mathew-son on the pitching mound. Big Six realized from his experience at the checker board that a ball game is not over In one Inning; the score at the end of the game is what counts in baseball just as it does in checkers. Checkers helped Matty to plot and plan at the beginning of a ball game, as he had done many a time at checkers, check-ers, and taught him many other lessons les-sons of strategy on the ball field. |
