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HUGHEY JENNINGS YYAS FAMOUS BASEBALL FIGUREBY BIJ.I.Y EVANSThree years ago llm sport world was startled by the-announcement that Hughey Jennings was In poor health. Later the word passed that h« was sunertttg Irom tuoereu-losis-It just didn't seem possible that Hughey Jennings, the man who had made millions lauah with bis grass-pulling stunts, acrobatic gesture-, and unintelligible word' such as “E-yah,” “E-yah” and others just as meaningless, but none the les-Inspiring.I. for one. couldn’t believe !!,■-report. I knew Jennincs only as a husky athlete, seemingly tireless, a bundle of nerves Hnd enthusiasm Now as I get word that death ha« ended his career, j can but think that Jennings wa. a martyr to tklt; game of baseball and the hero woi-ship that goes with if.Of late years, the wnid eoloi has been a much used one in desert bin a athletes who are just a bit different-“He lias more color than a paint shop, sport scribes delight in pinning the like on Bnbe Kutii. Yet it is my betief that Hughey Jennings was the first individual in sport to be referred to as colorful. He helped coin the phrase.My first introduction to Hunhey ,Jenuing5 was at Cornell University back in 3!02. X was a freshman. He was a law student, also the baseball coach In an effort to get a line on the new material, Jennings was conducting a fall workout and had all the first-year men indulge in batting practice again't the first-string varsity pitcher, by name. Chase.I recall vividly how thr fir«t time at bat I hit the second hall pitched to rec over the right field fence. It was a curve ball on which 1 had pulled away badly. I somehow managed to hit it late and because I had much strength in ray arms, drove it out oE the lot. even .though I had been badly fooled. As I trotted around the bases, I pictured Jennings patting me on the back and holding me up to the rest of the freshmen as the, ideal batsmen. But as T Crossed the home plate, he greeted nte tbtisly:“What a lucky drive that was’ The ball fooled you badly, you had one foot in the waterbucke?, your strength alone, saved you. I couldn’t praise you if you hir Lh° ball twice as far with the Toim ou showed.”Then he proceeded to correct my stance and style. On my next appearance at the plate, I followed hla instructions and white I didn't hit the ball 10 feet, he shouted encouragement.That introduction taught me n great lesson. It was typical of Jennings. He believed there was a right wa.v to do everything He gave no credit to success achieved Improperly.Of one thing I am sure, as Jennings made his ninth-inning battle for life, he didn't stirtender without a courageous light. In all my career I have never met a gamer fallow. He had guts.”Jennings once told me that the funniest thing he ever saw on a ball field involved himself, Jimmy}\ V W ? : ■!HUGHEY JENNINGSM'-AW-r and yours tru'y.Time makes many chances and it so h.tppenf-u that in 1005. five years after I had met Hughey Jennings at Cornell, he was the manager of the Deltoit Tigers and T was ;i member of the American League staff of umpires' It wasIhrouaU a recommendation bn thepait of Jimmy McAlecr to Ban Johnson that save me my chanceDetroit was playing at St. Louis in the game in question. Tbe year was IflftS and these two clubs were battling for the American League pennant. As faie would have it. 1 had a least a dozen close plays in the first fjyc or six innings and overv one of them went to Detroit, managed by my old college coach .Tenninas wa« coaching at first base and usuallv he mould trv to help me our by making the derision, just a trifle ahead of me, and naturally his ruling would always be safe and as luck would have it, I was seeing the ploys the same way.Aft°r an unusually close play also a rerv important one. had gone against St Louis, there was wild commotion in front of the home team's bench. It proved to he McAlecr scrambling over the bats to a position of vantage in front of the grandstand.Then in plain view of the assembled multitude, he yelled at the ton of hi' voice;'•Cornell. T Veil. Yell. Yell. Cornet!.’ You big hum. I also went to that college. I even know the the college veil. Now. do T get a few of those close decisions?” He was in deadly earnest, tooJennings was always a square shooter, game as a pebble and one thing ha wouldn't stand for was the old alibi. No player got any sympathy from him when he came hack (o the bench and started to put Hit- umpire on the pan.” While Jennings always gave his players considerable leeway, when he did give an order, he wanted it followed out.Tn a very tight game with a runner on first, no one out and Detroit needing a run to tie. a playerwas instructed to bunt as he stopped to the plate. He tried to ot the first pitch, failed, and on the second took a healthy swing, knocking lie ball over the feme#. vi--i-* t911* A,s i*10third base, I heard Jennings say:“That home run will coat you 5100. I thought I told you to bunt.” The next day I asked Jennings if the fine stuck and he replied it would have untess the player had offered an alibi that yOu couldn't get away from. “Wheti I asked him why he disregarded orders, he insisted he didn’t and when T asked hint to explain he . taid:“ 'You always told us to mis 'dm up. When I saw that right fielder crceplnc in on me. I decided it was lime to hit one over his head’.”The old pepper! A liiti* ginger fizz.” Come on, boys,” “Dor'” weaken.” “Keep trying.” are ji=t a few of the many phrases Jennings coined. He mixed in. with bis famous “E-YAH,” which was accompanied by bis grass-pulling stunt, followed by an acrobatic kick that would have shamed a high- • stepping chorus lady from the Follies.”Hughey Jennings deserves a place , among the immorials of the game. , He first won undying fame as a player. Baseball has produced few . belter shortstops. As a manager . he was an even greater attraction. His method of coaching was unique and original. The fans liked It and showed their a pprovat at the turnstiles.I am sure the enthusiasm and effort-that Jennings put into hi* work undermined his health. It is not reasonable to suppose that any ' human being could, day after day. start yelling in the first inning and continue it throughout the ganse, over a season of six months, with- . out paying the penalty.Baseball owes much to Hughey, Jennings. He was the originator of color as far as the national pastime is concerned.MACDONALD SMITH LEADSIN TEXAS GOLF OFEJfSAN ANTONIO. Tex.. Feb. 1.— Snooting consistently near- | par-golf, MacDonald Smith, fireat Neck. L. I., professional, tonight seemed to be a heavy favorite for hooors in the Texas open golf tournament which opens Friday at the Willow Springs Country club.
Newspaper Details
Warren Morning Mirror
Warren, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Feb 02, 1928
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Ron M.
USA 16 Apr 2024
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