Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05
THEY BROKE
w INTO THE GAME
Nervousness of Some Noted Bal
Players OF. ] heir First Ap- !.
psarance as Professionals.

psarance as Professionals.
The most trying period in ball players
| life Is when he makes his first professional
appearance. Many of the chesty players
whom one sees strutting about the ball
parks today, with the confidence born of
| seasoned experience, were at one time in
| their career the most timid and panic
stricken of mankind.
This was on the occasion when they made
| their entry into the ranks of the profession
| al ball players. and now that it is an old
story the men whose names today are ia
! nous in the annals of base ball delight to
| tell of their queer feelings when they broke
| into the game
| CyYoung's Successful Debut.
+ Cy Young. though he has been pitching
| ball seventeen successive years and is still
| a top-noteher, says that he~sill never for
| get that August day in 1890 when he took
his place on the firing line for the Cieye-
| land club against the Chicago team. Cy. at
| this time. was green country boy, fresh
! from his fathers farm at Gilmore, Ohio.
where the only practice he had In throwing
| the spheroid was put in back of the barn.
| Cleveland heard of Cy about the latter
part of July, invited him down to the park
| IOT a tTyOut anu SET the gay foT august y,
| 1890. Young was there on the date specf-
fed and was put to work against Chicago,
| then mighty fearsome bunch. Only one
| man besides Young who played in that
memorable game Is in harness today, and
| that is George Davis, who Is with team
| hailing from the Windy city.
Young was then the same awkward APP
pearing chap that he is today, and his awk-
| wardness on that August afternoon was
| further intensified by the fact that there
was no uniform in the club that would mt
Cy, and he was given one that was hve
sizes too small for him, and In which ne
| made so ridiculous figure that the Cni-
cago bunch just lay down ana rolieo win
| laughter. Every one worked overtime IN
! kidding the big. overgrown-lookingR uoe,
and promised themselves all sorts OF sport
with his pitching.
CIV SAYS that when he walked out on the
| field he had feeling as If the heels OF his
shoes were made Of pneumatic RUBBER:
Every time he would take step he would
| imagine that they were SINKING aoHh .s dn.o
the hard earth. He had a confused ioea'
also that there was crowd OF people
somewhere in the vicinity, but he couldn
for the life of him remember where 1t was.
The Chicago players. though, soon Dr S;.9au
the big fellow out of his dreamy condition
by ieerng taunts and this got Cy SO angry
that all his nervousness vanisned IKE d
flash. Gritting his teeth he took his pos
ton in the pitchers box with the ordar to
show the sassy westerners that ne WASH
SO green as he looked.
Neryed up to this pitch the ungainy
country boy shot his curves over ,h th p"i hc
soon had the bewildered Chicagoites at ms
mercy. He finally won his game oy tne
score 8 to 1. He was hit safely but three
times; gave only three passes TO nrst ana
struck out five men; among whom were the
redoubtable Arson. kittredse ana 1eorse
Davis.
McGraw Discarded.
John-J. McGraw the scrappy little man
aeer of the New York Giants, and In MS
day one of the star third basemen OF that
period made his initial appearance IN pro-
fessional base ball under conditions that
were far from encouraging. He was given
his first tryout by the Olean club OF the
old New York State League. and was as
signed to the third bag. McGraw was then
a youngster In his teens. and he made MS
debut on the 1st day OF April. 1871, an
ominous date xor the lamb IKE John' as on
that auspicfous occasion he proved to be
the biggest kind of an April fool package.
McGraw was so small that 1t was Inn
possible to find suit TO come anywhere
near his measure: In TACT. the only spale
onesthe club had was one that six-f9ot
E4H1fe8der used to wear. they gave this
uifsfft uniform to- Mac, andswfren he was
enrolled in it hes was almost. completely
hidden.
ward as If all the world was In attendance
on the day he appeared at Olean. 10 ms
scared eyes 1t seemed as If he had never
course, was due to the fact that the little
third baseman was SO badly frightened that
his mind multiplied the actual number OF
spectators The noise made by the crowd
also worried Mac. 1t sounded to him like
the prolonged roaring of a mighty sea-
When the first ball was knocked down to
him he says that the noise of >the crowd
ceased as If by magic. and the ball, which
b,D 70 hea an n those slow grOunderS,
appeared to McGraw as If 1t would never
reach him. Finally. after what seemed to
be an age he found himself with the ball
in his grasp and he turned to heave 1t over
to first base at which sack there was
player who was the tallest ball tosser In
the league.
The distance to first now appeared to
McGraw to be fully mile away, and his
heart sank within him as he suddenly
thought to himself that he could never
throw the ball that far. Yet he nerved him.
self, and not only did he get the pail over.
but he fred it several feet above the first
baseman's head. Every succeeding time
that the ball was knocked down to Nc
Graw during the rest of the game he man
aged to throw higher and higher over the
head of the man at the initial sack.
After~the game the manager came up TO
the little Celt, and patting him on the
head, told him that he was an awfully nice
boy and SO on. but that as ball player
he was nothing short Of a frigid frost.
McGraw pulled out Of Olean that night
and went over to Wellsvile, where he fin
ished the season, and did so well that at
the end of that year he was the recipient of
eighteen different offers from managers who
were willing to pay high for his services.
One of these offers came from the cele-
brated Arson. the captain and manager of
the Chicago team.
Buck Ewing Nearly Scared to Death.
Buck Ewing, who is claimed by many
expert base ball critics to have been the
best catcher that was ever turned out. and
who in his playing days was noted for his
splendid courage and daring, used to tell
with a great deal of relish how his nerve
deserted him when he was first given
chance by the Cincinnati club.
Ewing at this time was employed by one
OF the large Cincinnati breweries, and in his
leisure hours used to play on amateur
teams about the city. His work as an
amateur had many distinctive earmarks
of that Of an expert that the attention OF
the manager of the Cincinnati team was
called to young Ewing, with the result that
Buck was told to show up at the Cincinnati
bali park on q certain afternoon to be given
Q tryout.
| The night before this suspicious day Buck
was unable to get even q wink of sleep. He
rolled and tossed until the welcome sunlight