The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-13
IN THE MINOR LEAGUES.
Lots of Life in the Smaller
Baseball Organizations.
WHERE THE OLD PITCHERS GO.
Most of Them Drop Out of the Game
When Their Business Arm Loses Its
can Association,s First Stat.

Common Sense seems to be queen in the
councils of the minor leaguers this spring,
having succeeded to the throne occupied
by Extravaganza until the realm was
marked by ruins-monuments to enthusi-
asm not backed by the requisite cash. The
minors are springing up like mushrooms.
The Southern league is in line with New
Orleans, Atlanta, Montgomery, Chatta-
nooga, Macon, Memphis, Mobile and Biz
mingham in the circuit. The South At
lantic league will provide baseball for
! Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Savan-
| nah and Charlotte, while either Columbus
or Augusta, Ga, will fill up that vacant
chair. The Eastern league has fixed it's
fences and resurrected the Athletics, thus
giving Philadelphia two clubs. There ara
more state and interstate leagues in an en-
bryotic form than can be counted on ones
| fingers.
| When the bell rings for the retirement
from the box of the artists who deal largely
| in curves, inshoots and occasional straight
| balls-of that variety called ''whiskered"
by the elect-the great majority step down
and out Of the game. Most pitchers find
their days of usefulness on the diamond
! limited to the time that they are busily en-
gagged in putting them over the plate.
When the hour arrives and it is revealed
that their delivery has lost its magical
charm, those who once found none but
words Of praise in their sporting vocabu-
larry rise to figuratively Danish them from
the field. Then they pass on-into a slower
class perhaps, and finally into oblivion.
That is simply history. The records of
the fifteen years that the National league
has been on earth bear out that assertion
or course not one of the pioneer pitchers
Of the League remains in line today. In
deed, Captain A. G.. Arson, of the Chica-
goes, is the only man who has taken part
in every campaign since the birth of that
organization.
Of the eighteen pitchers who partici-
pated in the struggle during the American
associations first year of life in 1882, Just
one-Tony Mullane-is wearing uniform
today. Only one ever essayed to fill any
other position successfully, that was Guy
Hecker, and when he lost his batting eye
he gracefully went into retirement. OF
the seventeen League pitchers at work in
that year of the Associations babyhood
days, four are still in harness. Three are
numbered with the pitchers-Galvin, of
Pittsburg; Tim Keefe, of the Phillies, and
smiling Mickey Welch. of the New Yorks.
The other is Captain John Montgomery
Ward, of the Brooklyns, and he was the
only one of the seventeen who made hit
in role other than that of twirler.
Of course there are exceptions to this
rule, but they are no more numerous than
the Chinese in Ireland. Only few of the
dyed in the wool cranks know that the
Cincinnati clubs entire outfeld once posed
as members of the Society of Twirlers in
good and regular standing. That is cor
rect. Every one Of them has taken the de-
grees. Tip" O'Neill and Captain Ward
were fellow pitchers on New York's roll IN
1884 and 1886. 'Tip" went over to St. !
Louis and pitched in seventeen games for
''de Browns" and Captain Comiskey al /
ways had a way of utilizing heavy hitting |
pitchers in the field, and both Bob Caruth- |
ers and David Scissors Foutz have served |
apprenticeships in the garden. James W. |
Holiday, better known as ''The Bug" be- |
gan his career as pitcher for the St. Jo-
sephs back in 1885, and Billy Halligan,
now on duty in right for the Reds, pitched
little bit for Binghamton in 1883.
In the past, Cincinnati also intrusted |
its field to ex-pitchers, for Pop" CorkhilI,
now with Pittsburg, was amateur cracker
jack, and during his time he stepped in at
critical stages and saved games that |
ScCIilSu W NC lOSO. OeOTSe w HlJe w lnGS'
Tebeau also twinkled a bit as western
star of the box, but after he went to Gin
cinnati his pitcherial debut and farewell
performance were crowded into the same
afternoon. He faced Baltimore, and the
Orioles never had more delightful pic
mic in their lives. The home runs and
triples went out like lovely colored balls
from a big Roman candle, and when the
la oil ba toI
delegation had a few less than thirty runs
white Wings" never pitched againl
Then there was Joe Knight, who was with
Cincinnati in 1880 He began as a Canuck
phenom and pitched for Hamilton, Ont.
The heavy hitting pitchers are always
sure of renewed leases on life in some other
positions. Captain George Van Haltren,
of the Baltimores, was insnared in Cali
fornia and taken to Chicago to join Uncle
Anson's pitching corps. He deserted the
box for the field. So did Mike Herman, |
the great overseer of the right wing in New
York. Elmer Smith was such terror at
bat that when his arm lost its cunning
temporarily out in Kansas City he was at
once installed in left. Gil Hatfield, Eddie
Sales, ''Peekaboo' Veach, Al Maui and NJ.
j. Matumore were all pitchers, but they
have drifted out of the major organizations
Il have one of my old boys with me this
year, remarked Manager Pat Powers, of
the Giants, to me the other day. THAT is
Mike Herman. He pitched at Trenton
back in 1884. That was the first team |
ever handled. Tom DAILY, of the Brook
lyns, made his debut in that team. and we
picked up Calliope Miller and Shortstop
Leo Smith On the Brooklyn lots. Smith is
one OF the best felders who ever played in
that position, and if he only had the knack
of hitting the ball nothing could keep him
out OF the big League. To my mind the
greatest fielding shortstop today is Snap
Lang. My, now he can sail that ball
across the diamond Now, it sounds queer
for me to make such an assertion, but If
L had TO make choice today would give
Lang place on any team / managed in
preference to Jack Glasscock. Glasscock
would make more hits, of course, but Lang
would cut of more singles in a year than
GIasscock would rap out. Snap is an
other brilliant player who has been sadly
handicapped by an inability TO slug the
ball"
This talk was in the nature Of revela-
ton, and shows why New York was not
anxious 20 press its claim against Pebbly /
Jack" before the dawn OF peace. Herman
was also member of Manager Powers
bid Jersey City crowd, and IN electing TO
give Joseph Red" Mack chance at sec
ond the new leader Of the Giants did not
10 so blindly, as some of his critics seem 70
think. Mack played good bali for him in
= Buffalo Uniform last season
RES AULEogD, JR
William Tr,Tl5va- and lF;rr;a Sal !