San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-25
Tim" KEEFE,
THE GIANTS PRIDE, AND THE COUN-
TRY'S GREATEST PITCHER.

Timothy J. Keefe is the man who
receives-and who deserves-the most
credit for New York recent triumphs.
His pitching is a wonder and the re-
suit of much hard work. Everybody
who knows "Tim" likes him and the
honors he wears are the honOrs of the
whole club with nobody to depreciate
them.
The great ball player is quiet and
gentlemanly in his demeanor, and he
has always kept himself away from
questionable associations. Although
he has pleasant words for all who ap-
proach him, he seldom seeks ac-
quaintances and seems best content
when deep in some good book, or hard
at work with his pencils III the diff
cult sinuosities of shorthand. In
base ball as well as out of it Keefe is
considered a student. That is to say,
there is great amount of brain-work
connected with his play. His careful
survey of every part of the field before
. delivering the ball, his close study of
the weak points OF every batsman
against whom he pits his strength
and skill, and the consideration he
bestows upon every move that is made
have given him widespread reputa-
ton as the greatest "head-work"
pitcher on the ball field.
Mention has been made of short
hand, which is Keefes reserve in
case his mighty arm should fail him.
Men who follow pitching usually last
only four or five years. Then they
have what is called the "pitcher's
ARM which is not much better than
having no arm at all. Through the
constant and violent use of certain
igaments, their power not only be-
comes impaired, but is sometimes lost
altogether. For two or three years
Keefe has been preparing to meet the
emergency that will arise when his
arm begins to weaken.
The New York club, in travelling
about the country, began to notice
that as soon as they reached their no.
tel in any city they happened to be
visiting, Keefe retired to his room,
shut himself in and wasn't seen again
excepting on the ball field. This con-
duct puzzled the club for a long time,
until it was discovered that the big
pitcher was studying shorthand, and
studying it seriously, too. For hours
every day and evening Keefe prac-
ticed those mysterious twirls and loops
and arches and dots. To this worthy
task he has since applied himself with
undiminished ardOr until he has at
tanned degree of proficiency that is
said to place him in a position of
equality with the best shorthand
writer's in the country. Under these
circumstances when the great pitcher
of the New York club concludes to
abandon base ball he will undoubted-
ly be able, with the influence he can
command, to step at once into new
employment of lucrative character.
Keefe has by no means allowed his
mind to run to seed through the over
cultivation of his body. He has al
ways been a good deal of reader of
solid books of information, and he
has added to his early school educa-
ton a wide command of general and
valuable information.
The great pitchers peculiarities
have been often described. 1t is a
good batter that can hit his de-
ceptive curves, and there are but few
no can gauge him. He pitches with
I rs head, so to speak, as well as with
his big, right arm, and seems by in
stinct to comprehend the disposition
of the batter before him. Let the
batter step to the plate in careless
mood and quick as lightning Keefe
sends beautiful ball over the plate,
and the umpire's shOnt of lone
Strikev wakes the batter to the con-
seriousness that one good chance has
passed him by.