The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-23
THE HAWKS FLY Catch
Wonderful Baseball Story From
the Centennial State.
CAYLOR'S BASEBALL PICTURES.

CAYLOR'S BASEBALL PICTURES.
epalding and Bradley were World Fa-
NOUS Pitchers In 1S76-One Il q Million
aire Now and the Other q Philadelphia
Policeman-Players Who Save Money.
About this time every year is the season
when some extraordinary story is told to
wake up tho baseball crank and thrill his
credulous soul with wonder. This year it
is hawk story. The scene Is laid in farof
Colorado, where the air is so pure and rare
that lying is as easy as walking. A player
while practicing sent dy ball high into tho
empyrean. A hawk, such as they grow In
that glorious climate, was lolling around
in the vicinity Of the clouds, and toward
this bird the ball set sail The hawk saw
its game coming and for the sake of some
thing to do met 1t half way. The result was
fly catch as neatly made as it could be
done by Ryan, Holiday, a Hamilton or
Brodie
With the ball in it's clutches, the hawk
flew away to it's nest What use it made
Of the ball is not chronicled, but suppose,
true to its nature, this bird of prey tore the
insides out of the sphere and glutted itself
on yarn and rubber. If he found the yarn
as tough as the yarn as have spun it, that
hawk will never catch another fly ball.
The game will be deprived of another nov
city which was promised, but which has
been withdrawn before it ripened. Cincin-
natl. the home of baseball sensations, was
to have been the scene Of this miscarried
curiosity, and presume it was planned by
that prince of advertisers, Frank Bancroft.
The club announced that some time in Au-
gust there would be marriage celebrated
at the home plate on the Cincinnati
grounds just before the game began. The
groom was to be the assistant ground keep
er, and the happy bride, it was said, moved
aigh up in her particular circle in the west
end" The scheme was a most novel one
It would have been the first wedding on q
hallfeld since the game began. Couples
nave been united in balloons at county
fairs, on the stage and in show windows,
but never at the home plate.
Alas for novelty! Some of the other
League clubs heard about the contemplated
innovation, and at once there formed fun
mel shaped cloud of Indignation which
and blow the home plate, the assistant
ground keeper and his high moving bride
into the Ohio river. AS a consequence, the
wedding at the home plate has been de-
clared off.
This year there has been disposition in
the National league particularly to frown
upon all novelty attractions Of an extra
character when coupled with championship
games. In st. Louis they had balloon
ascension on one or two occasions, but be-
ieve the venture didn't pay, and the special
features were discontinued. Several years
ago foot races preceding the games were
quite popular, but at that time it was neces-
sary to devise extra attraction to get the
money in at the gates. This year the great
game is drawing for itself, and The side
show business is unpopular.
Very recently two teams of police officeD
played game of ball in Philadelphia One
Of the mines was shut out without q run.
The pitcher for the victors was George w.
Bradley. When l saw a paragraph in a
Philadelphia paper making the announce
ment of that game, I cast my thoughts
back nearly a score of years. This George
w. Bradley is now q police officer in the
City Of Brotherly Love with q salary Of
perhaps 500 q month. In 1875 he was
pitching for the St. Louis club Of tho Ma
tional league. It was the year when Bos-
toms big four-Spalding, Barnes, White
and McVey-deserted the club and went to
Chicago, where they helped to win the
championship for the White Stockings.
They found their hardest foe to beat in the
st. Louis nine, especially when Bradley
pitched. A result Of this w&s that the Chi
Cages got rid OF their dangerous rival pitch
er, Bradley, by engaging him. He joined
the Chicagos. think, the following year.
The point I am making Is this: In that
year-1876 two most famous pitchere
In the country were A. G. Spalding and
George W. Bradley. They were rivals on
nearly an equal footing, and Bradley's
earnings were scarcely less than Spalding's.
But time works wonders. Things are very
different with those two men today. Spald-
Ing is q millionaire living in royal style in
enc Of Chicago's fashionable suburbs and
occupying the head place in firm which
has houses in Chicago, New York, Philadel-
phia, London and Sydney. Bradley patrols
the streets of Philadelphia and earns
comfort. At this time, while Bradley is
doing policeman's duty, Spak ing is liv-
ing temporarily in his cottage at Seabright,
on the Jersey coast.
The story Of these two once famous
pitchers makes text for q sermon on base
ball. One was a man Of education and
more than average intelligence. To him
the money which he earned playing ball
was nest egg for the fortune he afterward
acquired. Baseball gave him his start and
probably placed him where he is today.
In the other instance the player was
:nan without education or ambition be-
yond the diamond. Whatever money he
saved while playing ball was spent as soon
as the diamond had no further work for
him. How often the history OF ball play
er is the history over again Of Bradley's
life! Few of them save their money. OF
those who do very small proportion are
willing or able to put it into some business
as soon as their playing days are past.