Newspaper Page Text
25 Greatest Southern
League Players—No. 7
That Molesworth Crouch
By Fuzzy Woodruff.
REMEMBER, gentle reader,
those halyeon days of your
youth when it was ' the
bounding desire of your heart of
hearts to hurt some one? Remem
ber now. when prompted by that
desire, you visited the county fail,
the joys' of Jo Jo. Princess Zoo Zoo
and tile Bevy of Belon, -histan
Beauties were counted as naught
and you even foreswore your pre
dilection for wagering your hard
earned savings on the chances of
an animal with a pedigree as long
as that of the House of Hapsburg?
Remember the keen elation with
which you paid out five cents for
three th ows at the elusive head of
a Senegamblan. who had suddenly
attained ne« eminence by trans
fer: ing his activities from toting
grips at the depot to standing be
hind a screen with a duck pond
paintea on it and tauntingly invit
ing the body politic to do damage
to his cranium?
Ypu had known this negro all
your life and not until it cost five
cents for three opportunities foi
you to break his skull had you ever
seen your keenest joy rest in the
prospect of braining him.
But now. at five cents for three
throws, there was nothing else on
earth worthy of being done. Jo Jo
might bark from his canine physi
ognomy. Zoo Zoo might tell you
that you were about to take a long
journey. The entire Bevy of Be
loochistan Beauties might shock
you with all the W’rithing motions
of Gertrude Hoffman. Mary Gar
den. Eva Tanguay and the thou
sand and other Salomes, The
pedigreed horse could pace for
Sweeney or the rest of the Ancient
Order of Hibernians. Your ambi
tion rvas to castigate the counte
nance of the coon with baseball at
three throws for five
A Regular "African Dodger.”
The artful dodging of the dingo
that kept his skull immune from
your projectiles was a thing to be
admired, but never in your long life
did you imagine that this same
dodging ability was responsible for
certainly the most consistent bat
ter the Southern league ever knew,
probably one of the most scientific
hitters the national pastime has
seen.
Now, 1 am not seeking to de
prive Mr. Mack of his fame of be
ing the Michaevelli of baseball. It
is not my purpose to assume Na
poleonic pose and tell Mr. McGraw
things that he has left undone in
running his gang of athletes, nor
would I attempt to say that I could
have operated the last world series
to greater glories than did Mr.
Stahl.
Still I wish to go on record right
now as making affidavit that in
these days when the pinch hitter is
as valuable an asset as a prize
pitgher. major league managers
overlooked bets for many years by
letting one C. Molesworth stay in
the Southern league to make things
miserable for Southern pitchers.
And Mr. Molesworth did this by
bls unerring ability to yank his
head out of the way of a fast
thrown ball, hurled with the ex
press idea of shattering his brain
or making him pull away from the
plate.
Had Great Batting Record.
In major and minor leagues for
seventeen years Molesworth had a
general batting ave age of .317. and
he never for a second cared what
kind of a pitcher was working
against him. He would just as
soon hit Mathewson as the newest
recruit the South Atlantic league
ever possessed.
To Southern league fans the
' ir □frO'X; aX.
||j iHf . I _X|JL
11 j ' WWI/1 h
TOLEDO
®x\ MOML I W
Xw Jy
tiW
W 11 iw£r j°
' I $6 00
< i
■| H We selected ou> Fall Ralstons e
w ~“'| ®3' with an eye to the style require- |
—J mentsofthe man who keeps instep I
~ i ife with Fashion, who draws the line 1
%it “ Freaks ” but at th* same time g
wan^s styles that are really new. |
You'll not find a behind the calendar style gj
ly> ui our store. |
i~TjKI Ralston foot-moulded lasts ||
kJfl if ' insure comfort as well as style. |
| Alay we have the privilege of showing you? |
[L R. D BARKSDALE CO .
Decatur St., /,.y
’*Kimball House,
Molesworthian crouch over the
plate was as familiar a sight asithe
corner of Whitehall' and Alabama
streets to the crossing cop. The
bugs believed that it was simply a
peculiarity. They did not know
that in this crouch lay the batting
secret of the man who had. defied
every great pitcher since the days
"hen Rusie was a star and Math
ewson was in swaddling clothes.
For years and yearis they watch
ed him slick his beau over the pan
and wonder by what freak of for
tune he was enabled: io keep his
bruins from being spilled over the
catcher's box and how from this
awkward position he was able to
whale any kind of hurling.
Molesworth told me the reason for
l his crouch. He told it after he
had quit playing ball and had
started the more pleasant pursuit
of managing a pennant winning
club.
Was Weak on Lew Balls.
The rotund Baron manager, un
like most great hitters, had a bat
ting weakness. He could not con
nect safely if the hujrler kept the
pill whizzing around, his knees.
Otherwise he was a 'perfect bats
man. Veteran pitchers have de
clared that he never jhlt at. a ball
that was not over the plate. He
drove with equal ferocity to right,
center or left field. H<r was a cork
ing good bunter and rarely struck
out.
But that low ball weakness both
ered him. In his early days Moles
worth was a pitcher;' in fact, his
big league career was confined to
the hurling hill. Way back in the
early nineties he was a right
handed slabman for Washington
when Arthur Irwin managed the
Senators.
His arm wenl dead. He had.
however, always been a good field
er and possessed an accurate bat
ting eye.
Girlish Way of Pegging.
His exes were turned to the out
field and he landed a job in a bush
league, playing the gardens and
throwing with his left arm. He
did this throughout.the rest of his
career, and all Southern league fans
remember the peculiar mo
tion he had in getting away a peg.
When he got on the outfield job.
he immediately planned to be a
sterling hitter. He knew he could
not do this as long as he had the
fatal low ball weakness. Natur
ally. the only thing for him to do
was to make the pitchers keep toe
ball high when working against
him.
That was a problem of more than
ordinary difficulty. Hurlers rarely
rio what the batter wants them. But
Molesworth had been a hurler, and
he knew the hurler kind.
He knew that every pitcher places
more or less confidence in his
"bean” ball—that is. a fast ball
thrown at the head of a batter, with
the idea of making the hitter pull
away from the plate when the ball
does come over.
Working on this theory, he rea
soned that if he kept his head over
the plate the pitchers would nat
urally throw’ right at it.
And if he kept his head on a level
with the letters on his shirt he
would be able to murder any sort
of pitching.
He tried it. Pitcher after pitcher
kept throwing at the elusive head,
and he kept lining out hits. It was
dangerous enough, but that season
he hit well above .400. His system
had worked.
Straightened Up to Hit.
He never hit from his crouch. He
would keep his head over the pan
until the ball started. Then he
would stand erect and whale away
with all his force. He was always
THE ATLA=| GEORGIAN AND NEWS.FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1. 1912.
HefcAp s F° recas t °f Tomorrow's Big Battles
Coacn Picks Vandy, Sewanee and Auburn to Win
B'- J. \V. Heisman.
TjjE most important game of
football billed for Dixieland
tomorrow is that between the
Comm<' <1 <’ rM an( l lad” from the
Old Do mini « n
One month ago most everybody
thougit ot l ® team had as good a
chanc 89 the other. Some of us.
hjwetii r - thought otherwise; for
Virgirfl » system of alumni coach
ing li;®|not. since Its inauguration
in IflO'.i proven the entire success
that V* tginians could have wished.
These i/oaches have done quite as
well al might have been expected
from jiem, but the fact remains
that fittball at Virginia is far from
being C ll a P ar with that at Yale.
Harvald. Pennsylvania. Princeton
and at least a dozen other colleges,
and it would be asking too much to
expect that Virginia’s football
graduates could do such work atid
’ turn of’t such teams as do the
eoache® who derived their knowl
edge aJtd ability from their connec
tion w|tth these higher grade foot
ball erfheges.
The record of the Charlottesville
team date but emphasizes this
staten <en t- a nd I, for one, look to
see vjtfderbilt defeat Virginia by
sometf'lttg like three touchdowns,
jt j s <iuite possible that they will
do evtff 1 better than that, but not
probac' e - f° r the simple reason that
this h< is loomed large all the fall on
Virginia’ s schedule as being her
most important game of the season.
This being the case, they will be
keyed to their very highest ten
sion against the Commodores, and
will, 1 believe, hold the score down
to ab< “I what I have suggested.
• ♦ ♦
SEWANEE VS. GEORGIA.
THIS? is another of the South's
nl pst important battles for to
morrow- an d it is sure to be a hum
mer. Sewanee has done but little
thus W r this season, but they have
done ti’ at little mighty well. Geor
gia started off promisingly enough,
but ha s not in their last two games
come lup to the expectations of
their The latent power and
stfengp'’A «cludjng even football
experil I? - a>>- there, and if Geor
gia du *7 \ 'h< past week of prac
tice h: V /learned how to get these
out of/bfcr system, they will defeat
Sewatr ee Frankly, though, 1 do
no t expect this to happen.
Fact is, Sewanee hasn't been
saying much this fall, but they got
the gi>°ds themselves. They have
returned nearly everybody of last
year's team, and one or two from
previo us teams. In addition they
have flicked up a couple of aston
ishingly high-grade performers of
the bfand-new label, and has the
necessary weight, speed, experience
and punting ability. Besides they
are smarting under the trimming
Georgia gave them last year, and
that generally counts for more titan
most people have a proper idea of.
Don't id on that y° u are the least
bit su r P risp d if Sewanee is returned
the w’iuner. The score should be
small.
» ♦ •
.AUBIRN VS. TECH.
H I.;jiE is always a fine drawing
ciird and one that wi'l be well
worth going to see. Auburn will
have jt' lo edge in nearly all natural
departments, and there is no deny
ing tpc fact that they are going
just ri°w at a very fine gait. Au
burn ;and Sewanee are the only
teams! in the South that can still
in peiffect batting position when he
swung-
He used his crouch when Im came
into the Southern league, with
ChatV ano °S a - 'n 1902. He was one
of thd league’s leading hitters. And
for he kept it up.
Hinjally it became a fetish among
the hjirlers that no one could make
Molesworth keep his head from
that inviting position. They tried
all tt| e i r steam and all their skill.
They! never hit Molesworth, he
never tallied away, and lie frequent
ly hit them.
Evek> the major leagues know of
it. Tl>iey all experimented on him
RLOpD POISON
Piles* a’id Rectal Diseases.
CUREP T
J?
4S&
io net thf* right treatment? I GIVE
BOG.' the r^lebratr«i German prepara
tion for #l<xxl I’oison ami guarantee
results. (*ome to me I will cure you
or make charge and I will make my
terms witH* n >'<>ur rca<*h. I cure \ ari
coccle, li'droopß. Kidney, Bladder
and Prostate troubles. Piles. Rupture,
Stricture. Rheumatism. Nervous De
bility and acute and chronic dis
charges of ”>en and women cured in
the. shortest time possible. I* you
can’t <all. write. Free consultation
an<l examination. Hours, Ba. in to «
p. m Sur’days. ‘J to 1
DR. J. D. HUGHES. Specialist,
Opposil* Third National Bank.
16'/, North Broad St.. Atlanta. Ga.
DR. E. C. GRIFFIN’S e «K T .t
:5.00 jdi Our Scientific Cere Gives
Modern Dentel Heelth
Set Teeth Only $5“
Oellverod Dey Ordered
22k * w<l Cr,w " a
PwrfMt BrMge Wsrk $4.00
Phone 1708 Lady Attendant
(h»r Brews A A’len'e Drug s>t»re 24i Whitehall Street
ro STAY CURED.
By a true specialist
who possesses the ex
perience of years—the
right kind of experi
ence—doing the same
tiling the right way
hundreds and perhaps
thousands of times
with unfailing, perma
nent results. No cut
ling or detention from
business. Don’t you
think it's about time
challenge Vanderbilt’s supremacy.
These two teams, unfortunately, do
not meet, and it would be difficult
for me to hazard an opinion which
was the stronger—for a week or
two yet at least. Just at present
1 am inclined to say that Auburn is.
If this guess be correct. Atlantans
w ill have tomorrow the only' op
portunity t' tl« s son to see in
action the team that best questions
Vanderbilt’s right to the pennant.
And. believe me. Auburn is going to
give the Commodores a real battle.
They have been taking thlngs'cool
ly. but very carefully. Thus far
they have not been extended to
their fullest and they have not been
trying to run up big scores; they
are try Ing to come to a height on
November 16. But each succeeding
Saturday they have shown more
and more strength, and tomorrow
they will, no doubt, play the best
game they have put up this year.
What about Tech? Well. Tech is
going to do their dad-blitherest, but
what, really, can 156 pounds do
against 171 pounds? In baseball,
tennis, swimming and a whole lot of
things they can do as much as the
big fellows, but seldom indeed can
they hope for anything in a foot
ball game against them. Tech has
mastered their offense, and it’s as
good as most any that a light team
can attain; but the rub will come in
that the light line is almost bound
to buckle when it goes up against
Auburn’s overwhelmingly superior
line, and that will mean that Au
burn will probably be able to hold
the ball all day against the Yellow
Jackets, thus giving the latter little
chance to show whether they can
do any thing with the ball or not.
Tech has accomplished undoubt
ed wonders thus far this season, but
expecting them to beat Auburn is
asking just a little too much of. a
small quantity of human flesh and
blood, i can not hazard a guess
on the score. 1 expect Auburn will
score at least several times, and it
may be plentifully. I certainly
count on the Yellow Jackets play
ing themselves to an "all in” Con
dition. and then some.
♦ ♦ ♦
L. S. U. VS. MISS. A. & M.
'THIS should be another very good
and close game. L. S. U. was
barely beaten by the strong Uni
versity of Mississippi team, and Au
burn dealt out the same meager
fate to Miss. A. and M. My opin
ion is that the A. and M. will win,
but it Till be by a close score,
♦ * •
ALABAMA VS. TULANE.
epHIS game will be played in New’
1 Orleans, and Tulane should have
the advantage in that it will give
Alabama a hard trip before the
game. However, Alabama is about
over the bitterness and chagrin of
their Tech defeat and is coming too
strong for Tulane. Alabama should
win
TENNESSEE VS. KENTUCKY
Q(J little is known in these parts
of the present strength of the
Kentucky team that it would be
foolish for me to make a guess on
the outcome of this game. I will
say that Tennessee is playing very
good football, and I do not believe
Kentucky can beat them by a large
score, if at all.
• • ♦
MERGER VS. COLUMBIA,
rp HE Baptists should win this
A game, but, if my memory serves
me correctly, Columbia defeated
Mercer last season. And, by the
without satisfaction. Finally, in
the spring of 1907, Wild Bill Dono
van, then in his glory, was boiling
out in Hot Springs. He had all
the speed of a racing automobile.
He was a terror to every timid hit
ter.
Molesworth’s fame cached him
at Hot Sitrings.
“There's a little chunky guy over
in Birmingham," Rube Waddell told
him, "that sticks his head right
over the pun and laughs at you
when you shoot ’em at his bean.
Nobody cun make him move it."
"i’ll bet 1 can," said Donovan, but
other pitchers in the fan fest grin
ned.
Donovan finally reached Birming
ham. It was in late spring, and he
was ready to cut loose.
But he saved his steam for
Molesworth.
Five times Molesworth crouched
and five times Donovan, shooting
his fast ball with the speed of a
bullet directly at the head over the
pan. waited to see him pull away
from this death-carrying delivery.
Five times Molesworth’s bat crack
ed and five times he registered a
safe hit.
And when the game was over
Donovan was the first to run to
Molesworth and tell him how he
had cheapened his boast.
Molesworth batted wet) until
1911. when his eye went wrong
and he began to punch at wide balls.
He knew his days as e. player were
over, and he retired to bench man
agement.
The next year he won a pennant,
but if he would win a hundred ho
would not be remembered in the
South as a leaflet of champions.
The bugs would remember that
head bobbing over the plate and the
bat crack that followed when the
ball was thrown at it.
way, isn’t it about time we were
taking some notice of the rapid im
provement in form that the Florida
colleges are showing.
East year, I may remind the
reader, the University of Florida
not only defeated Citadel, but also
Clemson. This year they gave Au
burn and Tech a ’hot old time” of
it. and beat South Carolina In the
bargain. Then Stetson plays Mer
cer to a standstill last Saturday.
Det’s watch the outcome of this
Mercer-Columbia game with a lit
tle more than passing interest. For
my part. I’m very glad to see the
Floridians coming out in polite so
ciety.
Cigar Jars FREE at
United Cigar Stores
TODAY
How time flies! Only a few months since we came here and yet
we seem to be as much a part of the town as the postoffice.
Almost everybody knows as well where we are, too.
But best of all, our goods — particularly our cigars— are already
a staple with a constantly widening circle of smokers.
They are coming to us for their digars not only because they get
most for their money in quality, (no matter what the price) but
because our cigars when delivered are, in the best of condition.
Too much emphasis can’t be given this point. We undertake to
always sell good cigars and sell them in good condition, but to keep
them so we ask the co-operation of customers. 1
01701717 — To make it easy
_____ customers who buy
gars by the box to keep them in the |
right condition down to the last cigcr, *
we will give to every purchaser of
cigars amounting to $2.00 or over
TODAY, a Colonial Cigar Jar,
worth SI.OO.
This free cigar jar is not simply a gift to induce patronage. We
want you to have your cigars always in good condition. We sell them
to you in the proper condition and this jar will keep them so.
This jar, which holds 50 cigars under a ground-rimmed, air-tight
coyer, is an ornament to any library, office, or smoking room table.
It is the only practical humidor requiring no special attention.
Remember, every customer who purchases $2.00 worth of cigars
or over, is entitled to this SI.OO cigar jar free TODAY.
UNITED .
IINITH] CIGAR iim i
/lH 111 STORES feS J
■III Marietta St. (Corner Forsyth St.) we do Jfl
■ ■■■** 65 Peachtree St. (Corner Auburn Ave.) ' and chin-
23 Peachtree St. (Corner Decatur St.) a ] WO rth M
.=
—
Down To 40 Degrees
WEATHER MAN’S. FORECAST
Up to 70 Degrees
OUR OVERCOAT MAN’S FORECAST 1
Snug. Heavy Ulsters and lighter weights in all colors OVPI?
and mixtures, with the new lines of style charaeteristic of '
all this season’s clothing. Also a line of the latest (Tav- COATS !
euetted Overcoats — perfect combination of rain and over- s]s fQ s<4o
coat. SIB.OO up.
Rubber Raincoats, $5. Rubberized Raincoats $7.50 to sls
and Umbrellas SI.OO to $6.00. i
PARKS=CHAMBERS=HARDWICK<
37-39 Peachtree Street COMPANYr . Ulanta, Georgia "I—'fl
FODDER FOR FAN
Tom Carson, formerly a catcher with
Chattanooga, has been selected to man
age the Waco team. He succeeds Ellis
Hardy. George Deidy was an applicant
for the position, but was turned down
because the Texans wanted a playing
manager.
...
Vean Gregg has gone home to Alberta
and has resumed his old job of plasterer,
just as though he didn't know anything
about big salaries for working once or
twice a week for a couple of hours work.
Some bean on Vean’s shoulders.
...
Bill Carrigan, supposed to be the brains
of the .ted Sox. is at outs with a lot of
his teammates. That is said to be the
reason why he worked only tw'o of the
eight world’s series games He may be
disposed of before next season begins.
...
St. Faul is said to be after Harry Hinch
man for manager.
...
The White Sox may buy an abandoned
hotel In the boom town of Lobo. Texas,
and train there.
...
Jake Stahl says that Bedient will be a
better man next year than Joe Wood—
and a lot of folks will not be surprised if
he calls the turn. It mav be
hasn’t signed for 1913 and that ’
has,. Those things make a dlffrfQ
the managerial conversation .’dtit'
• • • MMM
Claud Hendrix cost the Pirates
He won 22 and lost 9. The ehea
are the better they pftcli—someti
Frank Chance believes that Ar
man still lias the makings of a
fielder and that he will do a lot
for the Pirates yet.
ED W. SMITH TO REFEf)<
WOLGAST-MANDOT I
NEW ORLEANS. Nov. 1—
Smith, sporting editor of Hearst’s
American, is to referee the Ad VI
Joe Mandot ten-round bout het
Monday night. After a wrangle 1
the managers of both lightweights
lasted almost three days. Smith
lected.
There will be no decision rent
this battle, this being one of the 1
made by the champion before slgi
7