The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-07-02
ION THE DIAMOND.
Gossip Of the National Game
from an Old Timer.
-OLD ANsEs" NARROW ESCAPE.

Pitcher" and How he Cot Into the
National League.
When the Chicago and New York teams
met at the Polo grounds on Manhattan
island the other day The sun poured down
with more thnn tropical nerceness, and
two or three players succumbed 60 the
heat. But the battlo went on, despite ca
tastrophes aud calOric, until tho deciding
run had been battcd in. The audience
cheered, perspired md departed, all save
few Of those devotcCs TO the game known
as "crauks."
They curiously watched the players leave
the field, and noted with amuzemeut that
Adrian G. Anson, the iron duke of base.
iElll. the mairstay Of the Garden City club
for years, Jagged somewhat behind and
seemed without that springinCss of step
and that defiant, unconqucred mien which
is always his after either victory or defeat.
At night the rumor spread about the
hotels and sporting ccnters Of Gotham
that "Old Anse" had come mighty near
having n sunstrokc,' and many were the
expressions Of solclude and sorrow there
at. But the effects Of the terrific after
noon have now nearly passed away, and
the veteran still holds his own at first base
or behind the bat
"Old Anse" they call him nowadays,
though he has yet to acc his tortieth birth
day. ! can remember him - indeed, I
played ball with him-whgn he was young
Anse, ambitious, capable and frcsh--frcsh
not only with the bounding vigor Of youth,
but with the sense Of his own value rs a
ball tosser. lie had just emerged from the
obscurity of Marshailtown, Ia, TO take
place in the once famOus emi.professional
club Mt Rockford, HIS, known as the For
eat Citys.
It was at Rockford that he began his
career as n first basoman AL Spaldng
was the pitcher-thc champion underhand
twirler Of the day. George King, now
bank cashier, stood behind the bat. Ross
Barnes was the second baseman, and big
hearted, bow legged, profane Bob Addy
covered the shortstops position.
Two Of tho ielders whom i recall were
Fred Cone, now night manager of the
Grand Pacific hotel mt Chicago, and Adon-
IRAN Stircs better recalled as the terri
BILE hayseed" Stires was the phenomenon
of those days He kneW nothing Of "head-
work, B" but ho had the strength Of giant
The places under the arms where the
shoulders join the body are usually hollow
In Stircs' case they were filed with mus
Gle. The man could run like deer, and
had hands like hams covered with hide
No fly passed him. and his field record was
generally errorlCss save in the matter of
throwing. When he returned the ball to
the diamond it was always at lightning
speed, and no one could tell whether the
sphere would reach the catcher or 40 over
the fair ground fence
But it was at the bat that Stires won his
name OF the terrible hayseed.n He was
not like Arson or Barnes a sure base hit
ter, but when his club and the ball did
| meet the result was nearly always home
run. l once saw Harry Wright, the Phila-
delphia veteran, who then played center
field for she Bostons, climb a ten foot fence,
wade Kent's creek and toll up bluff be-
youd to recover the sphere after it had col
lided with Stires' six pound bat.
OF all those old timers only Anson re.
mains in active service. sec that it is the
custom Of late years to style the men he
employs "colts." In one sense the term is
q misnomer; in another it is properly up
piled. know of at least one "colt" who
owes his advancement in professional base
ball to the 'old mans" judicious dis
elimination. His name Is Duryea, once
noted as the "cyclonepitcherr of the North.
st. Paul, a few years ago, the Chicagos
were pitted against the local nine.
Duryea was in the box TOR the home
team and struck out Anson three times,
the st. Pauls winning the game in hand
some style, and much to the delight of the
crowd. Spalding witnessed the contest
from tho grand stand. That evening "the
cyclone" sought the Chicago magnates at
the Hotel Ryan and stated his case in these
words:
~ want n place in the National league.
You saw what / conld do this after
noon. OF course l wish to succeed as a
player on my own account. Besides that,
my father, a wealthy farmer, is stuck
on me and stuck on the game. He has
promised to deed me an improved farm of
240 acres il do we'll during the next three
years. Will you help meP"
"Yes," replied Anson.
And he did. r.
AT present 1t looks rs though the fight
for the National league pennant lay be-
tween Chicago, Boston and New York, but
the last OF these three apparently has the
poorest chance because OF its persistent in
luck. So many OF its members are crippled
or on the sick list that those who retain
their activity are worked nearly to death.
However, it Is quite while yet to the
end OF the season, and things may yet
brighten up for the Giants, although
weeks are sure to elapse before Buck
Ewing can hope again to be in good form.
Boston, St. Louis and Baltimore remain 10
the fore in the Association, but Cincinnati
has yet good show if Kelly keeps his head
and attends to business.
Some excellent records arc being made
by the clubs belonging to what are known
as the minor leagues In fact both base
ball and the weather are now at their
hottest. More emphatically than ever the
game is the national pastime, and long
may II hold its place #. x. WHITE
Joseph Jelierson's Sour Married.
Joseph Warren Jefferson, youngest son
Of Joseph Jefferson, the famous comedian,
was married the other day In New York
to Miss Blanche Bender. Young Jefferson
Is only twenty-five years old, and hos been
on the stage for four years as Joseph War
rem. The bride Is three years younger.
She Is cousin OF Annie Ward Tiffany, and
appeared in her play, THE Stepdaughter,"
during the past season. She Is unusually
L. - 4