FATHER of the GIANTS Mlanager of Pennant Winners of Yore, Viewing a 'Game at the Polo Ground, Recalls Famous Men of Oldtime Baseball Umpire, Was (Copjrirht
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
J Ml WASHINGTON HERALD,, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER, 26, 1911. cc SMILING JCEMJ MUTKIE, FATHER OF THE GIANTS MlANAGER of Pennant Winners of Yore, Viewing a 'Game at the Polo Ground, Recalls Famous Men of Oldtime Baseball umpire, was (Copjrirht. 1011. by tiie New York Henid Co. Ail rijht toerTwM arranged. I hired John Ward to pitch for mo at the point to indulge in an almost boisterous snicker at most of them back with me, in spite of the fact that when Tom Lynch was 'an and be tht s very managers and agents one that ever lived. He was umpiring a close N aged man, with eyes deep set and keen, stood great salary of 25 a week. He worked in one game his success. And yet here watching the the town was infested with rival best f unsung. Among got were Connor, Welcn. game in New York one day against Chicago, and a behind the seats at the Polo Ground during the ana nis arm went Dao. ritcners werent me pamperea club he founded, playing ball, at the time. those I Ewing. My next was to runner to steal second base. looked from last days of the pennant fight, watching the Pr,ma donnas then that they are now, and it wasn't qillesplc and 'Buck Job started It A Origin of the Name "Giants." New York club, had touched out, Lynch Giants play. "Rube" Marquard, the pitching the fashion for their arms to go bad, so I fired Ward. transfer Keefe and Esterbrook to the the bench as if he been but "Meanwhile," continued the old manager, "John B. got sensation of the season, was in the box. The "We played for the State championship in 18S1, and as they were supposed to be with the Mets. I. shouted, 'Safe!' Day and got together and we formed the New York on crowd to throw they crowd was cheering him, for he had just struck out in 18S2 I got 'Tim' Keefe, Holbert and Roseman. I them under my wing "that winter and took them "The started anything that team of the National League, now Giants," and sore the side. " That 'Tim Keefe was a grand ball player, and he the a pleasure trip to Bermuda and kept them there until could lay their hands on, and I was pretty about he wared his hand at the team playing. of cost U3 game. No one paid any attention to the aged man, whose was responsible for my winning the League Alliance thfly signed contracts. For this bit baseball it myself, as 4t the "Ever hear how they happened to be called the Asso- you Dan legs were somen bat unsteady and with which a cane championship that year. Next season the Mets joined Btrategy I was suspended from the American "'On the level, did touch him? I asked Giants? No? Well, I named them one day. The came to bench. collaborated. He stood alone. At last another, whose the American Association and in 18S4 we won that ciation and fined f300." Richardson when he the boys were nil tall in those days, because most of them " hair was white, came up, looked at the first closely pennant So it will be seen that Jennings and McGraw and 'No. I missed him.' were sluggers, and they didn't go in so much for for a minute, and then: "When I had planned out the ground with John B. "The crowd was still howling, and particularly the speedy players then. They were winning, and J bunch behind our bench wanted to kill some one. I "Hello, Jccms! I wasn't sure It was you." looked out at them and said: 'They're giants in went out in front and shouted: 'He never touched "Hello, John! That Marquard Is a great pitcher." playing and stature, too.' him, and now, if you want to fight any one, choose James Mutrle, the winner of two pennants for the "Somebody took it up, and they hare been known me!' Giants as theif manager, had ridden out to the Polo V "They were crazy then and followed Lynch and me Ground on the elevated unnoticed and had filtered Into off the field after w e had lost the game. Finally Tom the grounds unsung. Yet there was a time when he turned and challenged any one of them. 'I can't lick lgg all of you once,' he shouted, any one of yonl' at 'but could not bare gone anywhere In New York without "The toughest time I ever had with a crowd was one man nudging another and whispering: In Kansas City where all the butchers herded In thosa "Mutrle. Smiling Jeems." days. We had been playing a close ganie and. bathe So it is with John McGraw now. He enters a caf", ninth Inning one of my men knocked the ball over the fence five feet fair and won It for us. 'Foull Fouir and a hush settles while every one present stands with shouted the butchers, who had a lot of money Jtet on ears strained to catch a word of his conversation In the game. the hope that a pearl of baseball wisdom may be "A New York man, ThH PoweTs, was the umpire, picked up. He cannot go anywhere without being ij and they were laying for him after the game. The was In of hole we had to climb So eighties. field down sort a and known. it was with Mutrle in the late up some steps to get into the club house to dress. Yet he went to the Polo Ground that day and the A big, husky fellow in his shirt sleeves was waiting keeper of the press gate questioned his right to enter for us at the head of the stairs and in bis bands was his own home until Arthur Bell, of Mutrie's time and a baseball bat while on his face was a look that keeping souvenir. Behind now employed the Polo Ground, gave the custodian showed he was not it for a at us stormed the mob, so that it looked as if we were of the entrance the "tip" that it was all right to let in going to get it one way or another. the famous old manager. " 'I'm going up,' I said. Mr. Mutrle was of the time when the ball players M. B-BUC- K- EWING " 'Don't go up,' said "Phil' Powers, 'hell brain yon. JOHN wondering wore mustaches and Burnsldes and talked about the WARlii "I started up those steps if I would come down them feet first When I got near the top pitcher throwing an underhand ball. Look at the old I stuck out my hand to this big butcher and greeted pictures of teams of his day, and all the players have IMIW him with: 'How are you? How'd you like the game?' facial decorations of some sort. This Is the age of "He sheepishly shifted the bat to the other hand clean shaven ball players. Not a single whisker in and shook with me. The rest of the players and Powers followed up the stairs and we got into the the big leagues right now. The famous mustache of club, but the crowd waited outside for us. I was the John Titus, of Phlladt-ia- . was the last, and now It, first one to leave and they spotted me. too, has gone. But in s day there were men " There be is,' yelled the big butcher with whom relapse, in the game w hom you ,uid never knowfrom Jus- I bad shaken hands, but who had had a and they all started after me. One man hit me in the ear tice Hughes. with a lump of mud, and I made a run for it That Yet, In spite of this difference in the style of wear- was "the toughest experience I ever had with a crowd. ing the whiskers, Mr. Mutrle for the sake of old "Rooting" Back in 1887. times let's call him "Smiling Jeenis" says that the root days way baseball of y is no better than that played in his "They didn't use to in the old the they do now! In 1SS7 I took the New York club to time, and then he produces data to show that It Isn't Chicago, near the end of the season, and If we had "The pitching may be a little better he re- won two out of three games we would have won the luctantly conceded as he watched Marquand knock championship. The crowd came out with tin horns 3own a couple more men by the strike out route, "but and rattles and a brass band, and L never heard so got my men all up ex- the fielding I not as much noise. It worked and and batting think are good. cited and we lost two out of the three games and the Speaking of catchers, there was 'Buck Bwlng, the championship. That was the beginning of rooting, best man who ever stood on spikes behind the bat, and from this time its psychological value was real- and be could hit. too " ized and managers began to use the crowds to rattle opposing teams. And Mr. Mutrie's face was wreathed In smiles at as the Giants ever since. And say, speaking of the ' StKBStfK09FllSt7 ' "I had pretty good luck in New York. I won the the pleasant memory, the same of smiles old fellows like Keefe and Tlernan, it seems good to sort that fiSHBpiBBpB&iij3i(j .zrnm j&s&if championship in 18S8 and 18S9 and the world's cham- ' be few old names into the league? decorate the face of a resident of Boston when he Is getting a Irish KBXS pionship both those year.