Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-19
PITCHER JOHN j. M'MAuoN.

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 PITCHER JOHN J. M'MAHON. produce That run gavc Boston tho pen nant for one year moro. Tho two players who were directly responsible for tho great victory were Left Fielder .Ioo Ilurnung and Second BaScman John Burdock. Hornung led off with n thrco haSc hit, and Burdock sent him home with a hit to right field. The scene that cnsucd cannot hc described. Thcrc was a cushion storm, and with tho greatest difficulty tho Boston players escaped the crazy kindness of tho crowd and rcachcd their dressing rooms. Tho names of Hornung and BurdOCk wcrc in every fourth Boston mans mouth that night. They wrrc heroes of the day and hour.
 Several months ago l was walking along ono of tho up town strrtS in New York when some one hailed mo from passing wagon. It was .Ior Hornung, Hrwas just then employed driving a delivery wagon for a grocer of that nrighhnrhnod and stopped mo to mako a request that rVc ommcnd him aS a suitable person to um- pirc in tho Western league
 Over in Brooklyn John Bur,lock has n very hard timo to support his family. The last timo l saw him hc told mo a pitiful tale of distress and tho once king of S,rnnd bascman confirmed thctruth of tn" tale hy his appearance, Drink helped to pull Bur dock from his pedestal, but ago, new fa- vOrttcs and furgctfulnCSS havc alone rob bed Hornung of his former laurrls This Is n living instance of the mctroric popu larity of baseball stars They arc wildly worshiped whilo they reign and quickly forgotten after their suCCt>>urS appear The story of Hornung and Burlrk should be thoughtfully bnrno in mind by tho DuffyS, RuSicS, CurCorInS, DrlrhnntyS, McGraws, Bccklcys, TrhtnuS DwyrrS Langrs and BrritcnStCinS of today They have their hour and the coming stars who will rign fnNuritrS as thrIv ~,tt'rv>~urs arr already lunniug uniforms lii amateur and minor l,,i:ruC tr:InS
 Nt IT, ~t two teams which hattlrd sO l ticrcvN l.,r tho prunant on that autumn day in lHN5 not one member k now play | ing ball in tho National l,;l'.llr aud nearly | all arc out nf tho pr,fy>sIon entirely. Rad bourne, oil whuSc delivery thr winning | run was sCUrtl, lost an eye several years | ago by an accident while huutiu. l shall | nrNrr forget the way lr t,r'k hts dri,st | that evening He was the cl;,. lest ~,tur | man l CNvr met Thr veteran, Harry Wright, wh" managed the Prov Idcncrcluh. | tried tn polly EIm into A state uf iudliIrr cnc~ but Rad would not hr comiort,d have no doubt he did not hrmoan the loss ol HIS N'll IllN'lN AIi'IlI l over the loss of that game.
 Talking of stars reminds mo that sumr | time ago l was asked to namo n picked | nine of players that l would consider the l best or strongest combination which could | be got together That has always been a | faVorto paStimc with somo baseball writ CTS, but Two seldom mado an attempt at | it, because I realize that many picked mines while individually strong, would he | collectively weak Team work as well as l individual excellence Is necessary for guud results in baseball playing
 l However, if l were put to tho duty of selecting tho star ninE would arrange them about this way: Pitcher, Music; | catcher, Grimm; first haSeman, Bcrkl"y; | second hasCman. McPhco, Anurt stop. Me | Kcan, third h:tScInan, Nash, left fielder, Delehanty; center fielder. Duffy; right fielder kcclcr
 l But this arrangement Is not unimpCach able 1 have made my sclcCtions from n standpoint of general excellence in each instauro For instance. l put Grimm in the catchcrs plncc because ho is SD much better as n hatSman than Robinson or Trimmer Rusio has no superior and no peer in my mind in any way ho may be considered for tho place Tucker iS a bet. ter first bascnan than Bccklcy, but the latter Is his superior at tho bat McphCo has no rival as a fielder, batSman and base | runner, though thcro are such excellent players in position as Reitz, Bicrbaucr, Childs and Picffcr. CorcOran iS q better shortstop than Mckean, but much inferior with the bat Davis and McGraw are much Nash's supcriOrs with the bat, but | the Boston captain never had a rival ill | his fielding work at that corner of the dia- mond Still hcSitatcd some in my choice between him and McGraw
 In the outfield Dclehanty, to my mind, has no equal aS n general player, not even in Duffy of Boston. Yet Duffy is a won der especially as run gctter and trick ster. When l placed him as tho star of center field, had to make a choice over another player whom many good judges will declare to be Duffy's equal if not SUI perior-namely, that wonderful, big rising star. LangO of Chicago. In right field the League teams show their greatest weak ness taking them all as a class Boston, New York, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Cincin- nati and Louisville have each been unset tied and dissatisfied in their man for that | position While Eeelcr does not class as q great right fielder, ho easily tops every competitor in the other II mines This task of picking q nine of the best players in their respective conditions is not as ' SShSy Us It IOohS IO tne IllItu NHo HdS tIiilo | to burn
 John J. McMahOn, the great Baltimore pitcher, Is an interesting person at this time, and hc is attracting more attention just now in the baseball world than any other man who plays ball. Has his pro feSSional career como to a close? That is the question which gives him such prom thence
 Last summer he injured his pitching arm. The injury was to q muscle which has retired moro pitchers in days gono by than any other muscle or ligamcnt of the arm. Some experts among ball players prophcSied at tho timo the injury was con tracted that his career as n pitcher was l ended
 | McMahon wont south with his club this spring and did gentlo exercise. Rumors flew north that the injured arm would not submit to practice. Until recently Mo Mahon himself was noncommittal upon his condition Now he announces that he will not pitch game during tho first month of the championship season, but asserts that when the weather gets warm he will be ''as good as ever" The caSe looks suspicious, yet every true lover of baseball hopes McMahon's confidence in the recovery of his arm is well founded. Such men as he when they are forced to retire arc severe losses to tho sport, for he 4 easily classes with Rusie, Mcckin, Nichols, Young and Breitenstein, If McMahon's injury proves to be of nermanent charao.