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Show MICKEY O'NEILL IS BEST OF CATCHERS Praised by Jesse Burkett and Dick Rudolph. Jesse Burkett, famous Cleveland-St. Louis outfielder and the National league's leading batsman of the 90's, and Dick Kudolph, world series pitching pitch-ing hero of 1914, were engaged in earnest conversation at the Boston Braves training camp at St. Petersburg, Peters-burg, one day last March. Rudolph was doing most of the talking. Burkett, Burk-ett, once called "The Crab," taciturn as ever, strong and stern of face as a Roman senator, bulky of body as a Roman gladiator, was listening "in." Rudolph was waxing eloquent over the throwing arm of Catcher Mickey O'Neill of the Braves. He declared that Mickey had a better arm than any catcher in the game today. Still Burkett Burk-ett was silent. "Mickey has the best arm of any catcher of all time," asserted as-serted Rudolph. This declaration stirred the famous batsman of old days. "Did you ever see Lou Criger throw to second base?" asked Burkett. Rudolph had not been privileged to see Lou in his prime, and so admitted. "Now, mind you." went on Burkett, "I il5ii::.i"Sf ,i iiiiill: liifilfcipfili Catcher Mickey 0'i.iiil. am not saying Lou was better than Mickey. I am only claiming that maybe may-be Lou was just as good as O'Neill." And then Duke Farrell butted in. "That fellow Archer of the Cubs could sure throw," he muttered. "Mebbe not better than Mickey, but just as good." Rudolph had covered all the baseball base-ball territory of the present an'd gotten got-ten by with it, when he made his strong claims for Mickey O'Neill, but the trouble was, he had gone too far back into the baseball past. These two old-timers could not stand for that. Archer and Crlger, as throwing catchers, left classics behind them indelible in-delible upon the pages of baseball. After all, it would be hard to conceive con-ceive higher praise for a catcher than that such keen and stern judges as these should pass Mickey's claim to be the best in the game today, and only claim an even break for their Idols of yesterday with this wonderful backstop of the present. Mickey O'Neill Is a cheery, likable Irish boy. He came from the St. Louis lots along with Ruell, Hollocher, Schmandt of the famous Wabada team and was coached by that wise old philosopher and baseball writer, John B. Sheridan. |