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Show YOUNGSTERS WILL NOT DISPLACE SCHULTE illiiilliillill KiT i mam riFsfuoS pillow ' y ipB The general impression seems to be that ball players have outlived their usefulness when they pass the age of thirty. This, of course, is disproved by the baseball Hans Wagner has been playing for the Pirates this year and for the past 12 years. Frank Schulte of the Cubs also denies de-nies that a player's ability begins to deteriorate when he passes the age of thirty, and is proving it by the game he has been playing this year. There are others of the same opinion. Gavvy Cravath of the Phillies says a man should play satisfactorily until he is forty, if he takes care of himself. Last season and the year before Schulte did not ptay the brand of ball Cub fans liked to see. He appeared more indifferent than ever, and the impression circulated that he was sliding, slid-ing, writes Oscar C. Reichow in Chicago Chi-cago Daily News. It was doubtful whether he would be one of the regulars regu-lars on Manager Tinker's team. The fans, when they formed this opinion, did not know that Schulte was dissatisfied with his managers and the environment and that he did not care a great deal whether school kept or not. StilL he played as well as the average outfielder and closed the season of 1915 with 12 homeruns to his credit. Manager Tinker was somewhat disturbed dis-turbed over Schulte when President Weeghman took over the Cubs and made inquiries in various quarters to learn whether the veteran outfielder still retained any of his skill or ability abil-ity to hit. Tinker had his doubts and was inclined to favor the younger players. play-ers. Besides he was not certain whether wheth-er Frank would have the proper spirit to make a winning combination. At the opening of the season Leslie Mann was favored, but Schulte soon showed Tinker his mistake, and now is playing play-ing better than he has done for years. Cub fans were not slow in observing observ-ing that he had not gone back any and that he really was playing better ball for Tinker than he did .for Chance, Evers, O'Day or Bresnahan. Remarks have been frequent this spring concerning con-cerning his hustling, the form he showed at the plate and the manner in which he covered the outfield scientifically scien-tifically with Cy Williams. The fans have' cheered and encouraged him to drive out the long hits that made him popular on the West side for more than ten years. He has responded nobly. Schulte is surpassing all his former early averages and if he continues his present gait he will finish the season with the highest average he has ever made in the National league. Last year his batting figures for the first 26 games were only .228, the year before be-fore .169, and in 1913, .219. This and his present mark of .357 are conclusive conclu-sive proof that although more than 30 years old he is still good enough to be a regular and deserves to be on, the Cub team. ' Cub fans are predicting that Schulte will have an excellent year in home-run-making this season. They believe the right-field wall at the Cub park will be of assistance to him. Also they contend that he is pulling the ball as strongly as he did in 1911, when he led the National league with 21 home run swats to bis credit. They are hoping that he surpasses that and the world's record of 25, held by Buck Freeman of Washington. |