The Washington times., 1905-10-01
Home Run Hdggerty
On Jonah Pitchers
Although Babington Brooks Played on Every
Team in the COrndrOppers League He
Could Not Win.

/ seen the other day a wall from
pitcher in the American League who
said he had pitched eighteen games dur
ing the season. and had lost EN- all oy
one run, and the team behind him had
averaged three hits a game in the
eighteen pointed out that in games
with other pitchers in the box they
averaged seven and eight hits a game
and made no errors. Then he struck
wonderful attitude and says:
81 am the champeen hard-luck pitcher
of the world. What can the hoodoo be?'
Now, this mans story may be true
I don't doubt 1t, for most ball players
tell the truth-but he is only one OF a
big bunch. There are hard-luck pitch
ers. and then again there are others
And this all concerns one Darlington
Brooks of the old Corndroppers.
You couldn't very well say that
Brooks belonged to any one club In that
circuit. He'd been tried on 'em all, but
one after another they had cast him
adrift. He was one OF the incest look
ing fellows you ever saw-tall. broad
shouldered. graceful as an Indian, and
the fastest fielding pitcher that Ter
stepped on a diamond. Bah Brooks could
steal any base at any time off any
catcher in the circuit. When he came
to bat the outlelders would back out
to the fence and the inhelders would
. nunt cover. for he was a slugger from
the headwaters of Slugger branch. He
had every curve in the directory, speed
to burn as these baseball writesmIths
have II, and what he didn't know about
a slow ball. and a change of pace ain't
found in any weekly baseball talks In
short. he was an Al topnotcher. and
| L.
ger he got job right on the spot.
Never Won.
But the Jonah got in its good work in
| the year that / knew Bah Brooks in
the Corndroppers. and though he played
on all OF the eight clubs in the circuit
he never won game. He never was
battered hard. except. maybe in the
one inning that beat him; he didn't
give away base on balls, he hit very
few men, and 1 never knew him TO make
a wild pitch; but something always
| happened so that he was beat When
he was pitchin' good ball the men be-
hind could not bat, and when they
struck a batting streak with him ir
the box they generally had an error
streak with ii. 1 could tell you a hun
dred cases of Bah Brooks hard luck
seemed TO nave 'em in his pocket. Twice
his catcher had passed balls on third
strikes that rolled through knotholes
under the grandstand and let in enough
runs to win. Three times with tn.
score a tie in the last inning, and two
out, he worked a batter into putting VI
; an easy fly, only to see two of his field
ers collide and the ball roll away, Will.
the winning run tipped over the pan
, I'll jusr tell you one instance that
, saw with my own eyes. There wer
Z two men or bases in the ninth inning
, and the Meadowville team that he wa
playing with was a run to the good
There were two out and Bablingtol
only needed 10 get the last man to VIII
the game. That man hit an cas-,
, grounder right past Bah and the secont
. baseman. who was playing close. Jumpe
, for it. Just as IL came near him it tool
an ugly bound of a pebble and wen
under the bag. The man didn't see II
and ran around and around in a circl
looking for the ball. Bah was the onl
one who saw where IL had gone, and b.
, the time he got out and picked IT up tn
two runners had gone in, and the gam
was lost.
IT WAS such things as this that CAV
. BAD BTCDhS his JOildI ldlut, anu Htl
as I SAID. the managers when the
saw his work. couldn't resist giving hin
!, trial So he swung around the circui
with one club two weeks. and anothe
one 4 month. until finally he struck tn
:, | CIoverdaie tailenders, whom Josh Han
good was trying to bring up TO the tor
Had Two Pitchers.
Josh only had two pitchers. neithe
= of them worth much, and although h
n knew about Babss game-losing propens
I ties he went into IL with his eyes oper
d After Bah had pitched his first game 10
s him. and lost II through a hitting strea
;. by Tim McGinnis' champion Hayville
( in the ninth inning. Josh got him I'm tn
dressing-room and had regular heart
to-hesrt talk with him This was u
line OF tell that Josh handed out:
: "Brooksy. on lookg and graceful gyrs
: tions. and nice curves. and ell tina
/ you're g. winner, but. you'll never gs
e ar inch high in this league or any 9th,
e till you get rio OF that Jonah that pei
). naeates your entire being and hangs su,
II pended above your head. Do you cate
Y on?'
s Sure" said Darlington. sBut what al
/ ] going TO do? I've laid awake night
e thinking % what's queering me- / can
e imagine what IL is. / never did an,
Is thing 10 anybody that they should wis
r me bad luck. j wasn't born In an III
: lucky time of the year. and every 70
itune teller I've ever hAAn IA tails u