Max Carey, the Minister-Ball-Player A Wonderful Record as an Athlete—How a Long Name was Shortened—Great Fielding and Base- running with the Pirates

Three hundred years ago an old German was engaged in the meat busi- ness. Not liking his own name he took the Latin name of his profession and called himself Carnarius—a handler of meat. Three centuries later a de- scendant of his began life under the handicap of Maximilian Carnarius. He was a good student but a noted athlete. He thought he wanted to be a min- ister, but decided rather to be a ball player. The game was good to him. For one thing, it shortened his name to plain Max Carey; for another, it enabled him to bat three hundred and lead his league as a base stealer and getter. Pittsburgh needs more men with his speed.

HERE is a blond haired, slender He would be far, far better off had he a athlete on the Pittsburgh club few more Careys in the lineup. T who has brought more dash and Carey's advent to the game is a strik- fire into the Pirates' offense than any ing commentary on the progress of base- man since the mighty Wagner began to ball since the time when it shared in totter on his weather beaten legs. This disrepute with boxing and horse racing. enterprising person is Max Carey, or Whatever it may have been in the rough so he calls himself, a remarkable base- and ready days of its beginning, the runner, batter, and fielder, and the most grandest game in the world's history is finished all-around athlete in either now above criticism. For here was a league. young man whose whole youth was It is hardly fair to criticize the man passed in a circle of culture and refine- who, in all his managerial career of ment, whose tastes were intellectual, a thirteen seasons, has never finished lower scholar and a student, who had chosen than the first division, and whose for- for his vocation the Christian ministry. midable array of Buccaneers have Realizing, however, after years of prep- fought to the end with the winners for aration, that his talents, which were more than a decade, and won their fair real, nevertheless seemed unfitted for his share of first place spoils and world's chosen vocation, he did not hesitate to series fame. But admitting the power go into for that expression of behind that serried battalion of Pitts- his energies which was denied in the burgh's smoke-hued warriors, had Clarke pulpit. Thirty years ago a man who had been able to supplement the general ef- studied for the ministry would have ficiency of his clan with that saving been altogether out of place in the rough spice of speed he would not now be and roistering atmosphere which en- veloped the sport. Baseball has assured- floundering in the cobwebbed recesses of ly proved itself worthy the respect of all the second division. The Kansas farmer classes and conditions as befits the na- might well sacrifice speed of thought and tional game. heavy bludgeoning for speed of foot. 61 62THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE

LEADING FEATS OF CAREY'S BASEBALL CAREER He batted for an average of .875 for his first full week's work as a pro- fessional ball player. He batted for .302 in 1912. In the same season he was second only to as a base stealer and run getter, as he stole 45 bases and scored 114 runs. In 1914 he led the league in stolen bases with 61 to his credit. He also tied with as the best run getter with 99 scores. In 1912 he accepted a total of 401 chances, a greater number than any other in the . In 1913 he exceeded his own best previous record and excelled all rivals by accepting 407 chances.

Three hundred years ago when the old longer races, swam, skated, and played high German families began to tire of baseball with equal abandon. He also their trade names, and while Latin was starred in basket ball, risked his slender still the learned language of the world, bones in that most strenuous of exer- the ancestor of the Carey family who cises, football, and excelled in almost was engaged in the meat business every department of track athletics. changed his German name to Latin and True to his parental training in the bequeathed his descendants the sonor- stern martial system of Germany, young ous title of Carnarius. His descendants Max was sent to a military school at up to the time of Max staggered hope- Fort Wayne, where he spent six years, lessly under the burden. more or less equally divided between Max, who supposedly has a longer sport and study. The summer was the given name which has been pruned as desirable season of the year, for then it well, was born at Terre Haute, Ind. was possible to be in the open air a good The elder Carnarius, a lieutenant in the part of the time, but the winter too had Kaiser's army, had attained no little ce- its possibilities, and being an accom- lebrity as an athlete. In fact, his ex- plished skater he played indiscriminately ploits entitled him to a comfortable in- at ice hockey and ice polo, excelling in come as a swimming teacher, after he all. had completed four years' arduous toil To show what could be done, he once of army life. But the prospects in took part in nine different events in a America proved too alluring, so he emi- track meet, and although trained to the grated with Mrs. Carnarius—who was minute without an ounce of superfluous born at Frankfort on the Main—to the flesh he lost nine pounds in the gruel- Hoosier state. ing exertion. Young Max had four brothers and no "I wouldn't have believed it possible," sisters, so his might have been a great said Carey, "but I know it was, for I baseball family. In fact, his younger proved it in my own experience." brother, who has just turned nineteen, On the track Carey won a reputa- has, according to Max, all the earmarks tion that was enviable and a distinct of a comer and may in time prove the credit to himself. In the broad jump, exception to the rule that the young pole vault, and even in throwing the brothers of famous stars share little in weights he showed ability. But it was the ability of their more capable rela- on sheer speed that he won his most tives. noteworthy triumphs. To be sure he In any case, Max set a pace for any- broke no records, but in all the compe- one to follow, be it relative or stranger, titions he entered throughout the coun- and set that pace from the very begin- try he was never defeated in a sprint. ning of his career. He sprinted, ran In baseball throughout his school days MAX CAREY, THE MINISTER-BALL-PLAYER 63

Carey stuck pretty studiously to the in- field positions. His particular favorite was that most strenuous of all, short- stop. In fact he began his professional career as a . His first engagement was with the club at South Bend. He was obliged to join the club late on account of his school duties, but got in about fifty games during the season. His first week's work was a well- nigh record clip, for he for the mod- est average of .875. Immedi- ately all the local papers began to blazon his name as a second Hans Wagner, which was all the more appropriate since both were Germans and both played the short field. Carey, however, was not destined to wrest the great Teuton's laurels from him quite so easily, though in one department, that of base running, he certainly gave him a close rub. When he left the Military Seminary at Fort Wayne, young Carey had every intention of becoming a minister of the Lutheran denomination. With this end in view he cut short his baseball season to attend a theological seminary in St. Louis. But he was not destined to com- plete his course in this place. "After I had been there a term," said Carey, "I was forced to the conclusion that I would not be a success as a preacher. In short, I had been in doubt on this point for some time, but my peo- ple wanted me to fit myself for the work. However, as it seemed I had chosen un- wisely, it was not necessary that I should continue in that mistake. And so I de- termined to enter some other field. "I had worked at various things be- sides baseball, semi-pro and professional, Photo by International News Service in my summer vacation time. I had been a salesman, performed manual la- Max Carey throwing home bor of various kinds and even worked in a brewery, which might cause surprise the circumstances, a wise one. I did to some people. However, my German complete my full year's work at the semi- ancestry had taught me to view the pro- nary, though the latter part of the course duction of beer in a different light than seemed a waste of time. I had not at is customary in this country of temper- that time decided to become a baseball ance unions and teetotal societies. And player. In fact, I did not enter the pro- for myself I was never able to see any- fession with anything like a definite idea thing harmful in a moderate use of the of continuing as a player but rather as German's favorite beverage. a makeshift occupation that could serve "My mother was disappointed at my to earn an honorable living while I was resolve not to continue my theological endeavoring to reconstruct my plans work, though she could not but agree and launch out in some new field. that the choice I had made was, under "Opportunity for me, however, seemed 64THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE

CAREY'S BATTING RECORD Year Games Hits Runs Stolen B. Av. 1909. South Bend, Central League. . 48 25 5 8 .158 1910. South Bend, Central League. . 96 96 39 36 .293 1911. Pittsburgh, National League. . 122 110 77 27 .258 1912. Pittsburgh, National League. . 150 177 114 45 .302 1913. Pittsburgh, National League. . 154 172 99 61 .277

to lie in baseball, which had always been opinion, one of the best fielders in the a favorite. And as my old job was still game, particularly at judging a ground open at South Bend, I went there the ball, and no doubt much more entitled following season. In the meantime Mc- to the position than myself. In any Carthy, who had been a schoolmate at case, he beat me in fair competition, and Fort Wayne, was playing so spectacular I have grown quite reconciled to the out- a game at shortstop that I couldn't get field. On some accounts it is a welcome back my old position and so switched to change, for the outfielder has relatively the outfield, where I have stayed ever little to do compared with so difficult since. and exacting a position as that of short- "I might say that McCarthy, who is stop. But, of course, what he does have now on the Pittsburgh club, is, in my to do has to be done with as much skill as the infielder displays, and calls for quite as much speed and baseball ability." While Carey had started out in his professional career at a record clip, as we have seen, he soon found that it was easier to hit for .875 one week than it was to keep up that meteoric pace. And so at the end of the season, when he was obliged to go back to the seminary, he found himself with an average shrunk to .158 for 48 contests. This was no great promise in a young man so athletically inclined as Carey, but his next season, lengthened to 96 con- tests, saw his average rise to the com- fortable one of .293 and brought with it a bid from the . His first try out with , viz. 1911, he took part in 122 games, hit for .258, and scored 77 runs. He was begin- ning to prove his worth on the bases, a department of the game where his native speed and all-round athletic intelligence was bound to bring him sooner or later into deserved prominence. The next year he showed what he could do by hitting for .302, scoring 114 runs, and stealing 45 bases. This placed him in both important positions second only to Bob Bescher, who was at that time the undisputed king of base stealers. Carey, however, cared little for prece- Tossing to the Infield dents; he kept right on at his fast clip, MAX CAREY, THE MINISTER-BALL-PLAYER 65 and the next year, 1913, reached the goal of his ambitions, a leading place in the base stealing and run getting depart- ments of the National League. It was this season which witnessed what was probably only a temporary slump on the part of Bob Bescher. At any rate, whether temporary or otherwise, it pre- cipitated him quite forcibly from his hard won throne down to a position about sixth on the list in both run get- ting and base stealing, and going down he met the Pittsburgh speed artist com- ing up to fill the vacancy. This year Carey's work has suffered in the inevitable slump which has settled like a blight on the Buccaneers, and that is all the more inexplicable that it seems to have attacked every star man on the aggregation. It often happens that an individual slumps, or that several on the same teams are affected; but it is the rar- est of rare occurrences to witness the slump of a whole team where every man falls off in batting and all-round effec- tiveness with no apparent cause. However, the season is still young as we go to press. There is a world of time for both Carey and the Pittsburgh club to regain much of their lost ground. And there is scant show that Clarke will close the season of 1914 as the first in his career to finish in the second division, however hazy may grow the hopes of a pennant. We have seen how the odd-sounding name of Carnarius originated, but the Photo by Paul Thompson origin of Carey is not so obvious. The blonde outfielder received this monaker Facing the Pitcher in a curious way. When he started to play baseball he was, as we have seen, wanted to call himself. The student, be- a famous athlete. He needed the money ing somewhat nonplussed at the machina- which baseball offered, but was, at the tions of Satan, wanted a name as near same time, reluctant to sacrifice track ath- like his own as possible, and left it in letics during the school year. The man- some confusion entirely to the . ager of the club obligingly solved the Later, on the field in practice, some of problem by offering to introduce the the crowd shouted at Carey and wanted young shortstop as the cousin of Lajoie. to know his name. The umpire hap- This was welcome publicity all right, but pening by at the time and noticing a a fame linked with the brightest in base- newcomer thought to oblige the audience ball was a little more than the youthful by giving them this information. So he athlete dared to aspire to on his initial asked Carey what his name was. appearance. The question seemed simple enough The manager, however, had names in and Max opened his mouth to reply, abundance. It mattered little to him when he happened to remember that the what a player's real name was, let alone manager had neglected to tell him the his assumed name, so long as he could name he intended to play him under, and play ball. So he asked Carey what he so instead of replying in a straightfor- 66THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE ward way he blurted out, "I don't know," didn't use to look to be fast, but he was. and then to the manager, "What is it?" Bescher is a very tall and heavy man The Umpire gaped for a moment at and has reduced the art of watching the this monumental display of intelligence pitcher's moves to a science more than on the newcomer's part, but the mana- any player I have seen. He also takes a ger blandly settled the difficulty by in- longer lead off first base than any other forming him that "Carey" would play player. Of course, all these things are a shortstop, and "Carey" he has been ever great advantage to him in his base run- since. ning, but there is no discounting the fact To meet Carey off the field you would that, in addition, he is fast, and there is mistake him for anything but a ball no mistake about it. player. His athletic capabilities are so "I was just as fast when I started my easy and graceful that they are hardly big league experience as I am now, but noticeable in his slender build. But I couldn't run bases as well. What knack Carey is one of the fastest, if not the I have along that line I have developed very fastest, man in the National League by observation and practice. Speed is and undoubtedly the greatest all round important always, but experience and athlete. natural ability are no less so; they are "I have often thought I would like to rather the more important of the two." race Hans Lobert in a straightaway As a fielder Carey has always been dash," says Carey. "Lobert has the rep- noted as a great ground coverer whose utation of being the fastest man in either speed in roaming over the outfield league. He is a deceptive runner, though brought within his reach an enormous I have often watched him and admired number of chances. In 1911 he took his easy stride. He overruns first base part in scarce games enough to rank farther than any other man in baseball with the leaders in this respect, though and that is because he is running so the grand total of his efforts in this line smoothly and easily it is hard for him to were surprising. On the next season, stop. He is undoubtedly a very fast 1912, however, he accepted a total of 401 man. chances, and in 1913 a total of 407, "Bescher, whose work I have often many more than any other outfielder in admired, is not so fast as Lobert, though the National League. he is a deceiving runner. Hans Wagner Not only has Carey maintained a mag-

CAREY'S CAREER IN TABLOID FORM His full name is Maximilian Carnarius. His father was a lieutenant in the German army and a noted athlete. He was born in Terra Haute, Ind. He has four brothers, all athletically inclined. He has always excelled in all kinds of athletic pursuits and once took part in nine different track events on the same day. He has played such strenuous games as basketball, football, ice hockey, and ice polo in addition to baseball. He studied for the Lutheran ministry but abandoned the project when he came to the conclusion that he was not destined to make a success in that line. The name Carey, in the nature of an abbreviation of his real name, was given him by the manager of the South Bend club and has always stuck. Carey was the second best runner in the National League in 1912 and in 1913 forged to the front. He is a conspicuously good batter, and on two seasons' work accepted more chances than any other outfielder in the National League. He has never been defeated in a sprint and is one of the fastest men on the diamond. He is undoubtedly the greatest all-round athlete in organized baseball. MAX CAREY, THE MINISTER-BALL-PLAYER 67

nificent grand covering record for two was in his day one of the most finished full seasons, but his fielding percentage and perfect . is high. It must not be forgotten in this Clarke, struck by the fact that ordinary connection that he plays the difficult sun smoked glasses which were absolutely field, a position which has raised havoc necessary in following a high fly across with more than one fielding average the intensely brilliant background of the on account of the piercing rays of sun sky, were an annoying handicap in the sun which so affects the fielder's ordinary work. So he solved the prob- vision. lem by inventing, for his own con- To offset this destructive tendency venience, an ingenious device much like Carey has adopted a clever device in- a visor which, hinged to the front of his vented by his manager, Fred Clarke, who cap, could be raised for ordinary work 68THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE and pulled down into position when stead. I never have to get in condition needed. as I am always in condition. And I have As a batter Carey's work has fluctuated played strenuous games of football, greatly. He is a consistently good per- hockey, basketball, and the like, but base- former, though he has crossed the ball is a continual six months' grind at charmed three hundred circle but once in full speed, with your nerves geared to his career. top pitch. And it is a welcome relief to "Batting," said he, "isn't so much a every man on any club when the season matter of hitting a ball hard or straight is over. as of hitting it safe; and hitting it safe "In the winter I have no settled occu- is three-quarters luck. Take this season, pation as yet. Last season I worked in for instance; I have hit the ball on the a jewelry establishment. I have been a nose as hard as I ever did in my life. salesman along various lines and like But literally on dozens of occasions the the work well enough. I am married, ball has traveled straight at an infielder, and, as my prospects in baseball are al- or so near an outfielder that he could ways uncertain, on account of the nature capture the hit with little trouble. of the business, and short at best, I have "Baseball is a great game. No doubt to to plan carefully. Just what I shall the spectator it seems an easy way to eventually do when I am through with make money. I admit I thought so my- the diamond, I don't know. But I trust, self once, but I have changed my mind. with reasonable good luck in the years In the years in which I was going to of active service that are left me, to save school and later I worked at various a fair competence." lines which offered a few dollars, and Whatever fortune may have in store I have done hard manual work, but I will for him, Maximilian Carnarius, the say without hesitation that I have never Lutheran minister, or plain Max Carey, been engaged in any occupation so ex- the ball player, as he is more familiarly hausting mentally and physically as base- known, has already accomplished a not- ball. It is a game which demands the able feat at an age when most men are best there is in a man, it takes the last making a bare beginning. For, as a ounce of brain and nerve and strength, member of a club notorious for its leaden and even then he is just barely able to footed tactics, he has won first honors as keep up with the procession, so keen and a base stealer and run getter in competi- merciless is the competition. My athletic tion with some of the fastest men in the training and tastes have stood me in good world.

By Stallings of the Adams News Service