OCR Text |
Show EVERS' AMBITION IS TO QUIT AS BASEBALL'S OLDEST PLAYER -. Rumors that Johnny Evers -was anxious anx-ious to quit tho game were set at rest recently when Johnny declared it was his ambition to play ball long enough to be the oldest player in point of service ser-vice in the league. Evers said that since Mathewson had retired from the active ranks and become a bench warmer, Honus Wagner is the holder of the service record, with Evers the runner-up. But Honus now is among the missing. "I have seen all the men except Wagner who were in the league when I broke in, pass from active service. One by one they have gone, and Wagner Wag-ner cannot go on forever." How Johnny Started. Evers told an interesting story of the troubles he had "breaking in" the "big show." He weighod 105 pounds. Several of the baseball writers remarked re-marked that it was a shame to allow so frail a boy to play. Evers played his best ball when he "weighed about 135 pounds, and was a member of tho Cub machine. "I started playing with the Cubs In 1902," Evers said. "We wore in Pittsburgh and had to jump back to Chicago for a Sunday game. Our first baseman was injured, and Frank Chance, who was catching, was sent to firsL Frank didn't care much about playing that bag. Before the game got far along the catcher who took his place was hurt and Chanco went behind be-hind the plate again. Robert Lowe, who was our regular second baseman, was ordered to cover the initial sack by Manager Frank Seeley. I was tho only available Infielder and Seeley sent me to second. "I was new at the game, and Phillip!, Phil-lip!, who was pitching for the Pirates, did not know how to pitch to mo. As a result I made three hits and drove in a couple of runs. The play which I think attracted tho attention of our manager waa pulled on Wagner. Honus Hon-us was on first base. Tho next batter cracked one down in my direction, and as I came in on the ball Wagner ran behind me. The man going to first waB almost there, and I realized I had no chance to get him. However, I made a bluff throw to first, and Wagner, Wag-ner, thinking I was going to go through with my throw, rounded second sec-ond and made for third. I turned quickly and shot the ball to third and got Honus by ton feet. Ready to Learn. "That, I will always believe, was what gave me my start as a big leaguer. The writers who thought I wouldn't do began to praise mo, and this acted as an Incentive. Seeley told mo afterwards that I probably would make a ball player if I could only hit I got orders to get out every ev-ery morning and practice batting. Some pitcher would pitch to me for about an hour each d.y." Fellow players credit much of Evers' Ev-ers' success to his willingness to learn. "Ho always Is ready to hear a suggestion sugges-tion from another player or a fan or a baseball writer, and ho devotes much of his time to reading the baseball base-ball news In tho daily papers, to see what criticism 1b made, and then see to it that ho does not allow the same fault to happen again. Evers sayB: "Baseball ia my business; I am always al-ways ready to see and study It from all angles." |