"clever" (= skillful, adroit)

[Gerald Cohen]

    My thanx again to Laurence Horn for his baseball insights. But
just as a clarification on the 1913 term "clever" as used in
reference to Tris Speaker's playing, the term does not have its
present meaning. Rather, it means "skillful, adroit."

   Right below my signoff is Larry's message, followed by the entry
for "clever" in my _Dictionary of 1913 Baseball and Other Lingo_,
vol. 1.

Gerald Cohen


>At 12:27 PM -0400 6/30/02, Laurence Horn wrote:
>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Query: "ground-rent man" (baseball, 1908)
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>At 8:15 AM -0500 6/30/02, Gerald Cohen wrote [quoting a contemporary
>report on Tris Speaker]:
>>   During the world's series last fall
>>he was voted the most useful player to his team in the American
>>League and was presented with an automobile in recognition of his
>>clever work, both as batter and fielder."
>>*********
>
>I don't know about cleverness, but he is still generally recognized
>as possibly the outstanding fielder among all centerfielders in the
>history of the game, competing for the honor with DiMaggio and Mays.
>Great fielders in Red Sox history have been few and far between,
>although Joe DiMag's brother Dom was another fine ballhawk out in CF
>at Fenway.  (I'll steer clear of what comes out of left, or right,
>field.)
>
>L


(from: _Dictionary of 1913 Baseball and Other Lingo_, vol. 1, by G. Cohen):

CLEVER 'skillful, adroit'--Feb. 13, 1913, p.16/3; 'Birthday Extra'.
Congratulations to [Boxer] Willie Ritchie': 'The following May Richie
boxed Wolgast four rounds and the clever showing he made in that bout
earned for him a chance to fight for the championship.'
Feb. 17, 1913, p.15/4; 'Birthday Extra. Congratulations To "Steve"
Evans': 'Louis (Steve) Evans, the clever outfielder of the St. Louis
National league Club, celebrates the twenty-eighth anniversary of his
birth today.'
Feb. 20,1913, p.19/4-5; 'Boots And Bingles'; col. 4: 'Walter [Mullin]
is a clever pitcher, who has been making a name for himself on the
sandlots of Toledo,....'
March 12, 1913, p.19/1-2; 'Del Howard May Manage Seals From...Bench';
col. 2: 'Both did clever work in preventing the Pitchers from
scoring.'-- (Full quote at Regulars.)
April 4, 1913, p.20/3; 'Birthday Extra. Congratulations to Tris
Speaker': 'During the world's series last fall he was voted the most
useful player to his team in the American League and was presented
with an automobile in recognition of his clever work, both as batter
and fielder.'
April 15, 1913, p.14/2-3; 'Photographs Excavated From Catacombs of
Sport, No. 87--"Brick" Devereaux': 'As an amateur Devereaux pitched,
but he was too clever a base runner and too nifty a hitter and too
speedy an infielder to give his time to curving.'
April 15, 1913, p.14/5; 'Results of Amateur Baseball';  (Redwood
game): 'The game was featured by the clever pitching of Tom Keating.'
April 24, 1913, p.16/5-7; 'Happy Bill Hogan Looms Up....'; col. 5:
'...turned several clever tricks.' --(Full quote at turn a trick.)
May 3, 1913, p.10/1; 'Wolves' Star Pitchers Hit All Over Lot': 'He
was been doing some very clever hitting for his team since he has
been playing regularly.'
May 8, 1913, p.14/1; 'Come-Back Stars Seem To Lose All Their Form':
'"Nagle, a mighty clever pitcher, went up [to the majors], and what
has been his record since he came back?"'
May 16, 1913, p.18/2-3; 'Photographs Excavated From Catacombs of
Sport, No. 112--Two Old Time Seals': 'Harry Kane, whose right name
was Cohen, was an eccentric character but a clever pitcher when he
had his mind set on his work.'
May 20, 1913, p.15/2; 'Birthday Extra. Congratulations To Eddie
Grant': 'Edward L. Grant, the clever infielder of the Cincinnati
Reds, celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of his birth today.'