Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-05
ARMBRUSTER RELEASED;
DONAHUE QUITS

| PHILADELPHIA, December 5-The sea-
| son of surprises is on in base ball and two
| We're sprung yesterday. Connie Mack
| handed out one in the announcement that
he had released Harry Armbruster to the
Toledo club, and the other was the state
| ment that Pitcher Frank Donahue of this
city had notified the Detroit club that he
had retired from the game to devote him
self to the hotel business.
Apropos of the latter, it might be re-
marked that Duke Farrell, the famous
old catcher, who weighs about as much as
| Socks Seybold and "Cy'' Young, has just
quit the hotel business and might return to
the diamond. Thus, those who are out
want to get in and those who are in want
to get out.
Armbrusters release was totally unlocked
| for AS is usual with an announcement
| by Manager Mack, there will undoubtedly
| be a sequel. Connie wouldn't let such a
promising youngSter go unless he were
going to get something good in the player
| line in return.
Armbruster looked mighty good to Phil
adelphia fans. He was tried out by Mana
ger Mack last spring. Being content with
his outfield of Hartsel. Seybold, Lord and
Hoffman. Connie let Buster go to a New
Jersey team
Then came the letting go of Hoffman to
New York and the bringing back of Arm
bruster. The latter made good from the
start, being very fast on his feet and good
man with the stick either in bunting or in
lacing out the ball. For a time too Arm
bruster did remarkable work as an emer-
gency hitter.
Seybold. though. got the regular place in
right field because Manager Mack saw
that Buster lacked certain playing quail
tiles that Socks possessed. One was that
Seybold was the better thrower of the two
most important point in heading off base
runners keeping men from taking a
chance on a close play.
ArmbruSter, though, was one of those
players who did much better work at home
than he did In games on the road. Thus,
favorable conditions: On the contrary,
Lord. the center fielder. played better on
the road than at Columbia Park, although
the patrons of the club never had any
fault to find with Lords playing.
With Seybold suffering from bad ankles,
caused by too much weight for his poor,
tired feet to carry, it was thought Arm,
bruster would be retained and might get
the regular right field berth next season.
The chances are that when the full details
of the deal with Toledo are given out it
will be found that Manager Mack has Sc
cured another outfielder.
"Donny" Quits Diamond.
Donahue's determination to stick to the
hotel business will be decided loss to the
Detroit club. The trouble with "Donny"
was that he never was quite serious
enough. He never was prone to going into
the box out of his regular turn and never
made a reputation in this respect like
"Rescuing Rube." When he did pitch.
though, Donahue usually twirled a first
class article of ball, and from the time the
season opened until it closed he was nearly
always in condition to give his club his best
services.
Donahue is one of the very few pitchers
who can boast of holding team down to
no runs or hits. He did this several years
ago against Boston, when pitching for the
Phillies. When the war with the American
League broke out, Donahue, after giving
the Phillies a chance to See the offer of
the American League, jumped the team.
He signed with ST. Louis and was later
traded to Cleveland, who, In turn, traded
land that Donahue had rather an odd ex-
perience.
His manager fined him 5000 for drinking
two glasses of beer one night Although
admittedly the humorist of the base ball
profession, "Donny' couldn't quite see the
joke in paying 500 per drink, not count
ing the cents to the bartender, and he
jumped the Cleveland team.
While at home he played with semi-pro
fessional teams One day he pitched for
Wissahickon at Wilmington. That after
noon Wilmington never made hit off
Donahue and yet the Peach Staters won by
/ to o. The cause Of this was a couple of
wild throws in the ninth inning, which per-
mitted Wilmington player to score.
After that experience with semi profess
sional ball 'Donny" patched up terms of
peace with Cleveland and returned to that
club.
Last winter Donahue ran billiard par
Now he has a hotel in the same neighbor-
hood. It's even betting that when the
robins come around Donahue will again
get the base ball fever, but he says not