The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-12-15

many years,
/ Each year hundreds OF pitchers claim
\ attention of the world, and each year
they are promptly forgotten. But mi,
nols produced a man who, although
now years deceased, has brighter
name than any OF the great multitude.
In the great campaign Of 1854. when
the Providence club. then a member OF
the National league, was fighting bit.
ter game with Philadelphia. a catastro-
! phe occurred that seemingly would
| disrupt its chances Of winning the PEN
nant A player named Sweeney. who
was pitching was ordered to 20 into
right field to change places with ICY
clone" Miller. At that time 1t was not
! permissible to take pitcher out OF the
game. Whereupon Sweeney promptly
walked out Of the game, leaving the
team with only eight men and with
one pitcher. Charles Radbourne
Two men tried to cover the field.
with the result that Providence was
completely showed under, A meeting
Of the directors was held to decide
whether or not the club should be dts
banded. Certainly professional team
was never IN sorrier plight.
Radbourne was approached and the
proposition put TO him. II can win IL
all right" said he quietly and in a
matter OF fact tone.
And then followed the most remark
able battle for pennant that the
world has ever seen. Radbourne es-
tablished record that has never been
eQualed, one that win live when more
expensive contests viii have been
blissfully forgotten. OF twenty-seven
consecutive games Radbourne won
twenty-six. In four games with Bos-
ton be had three shutouts, only one
run was scored and only seventeen
hits were made. This defeat was suf-
fered at the hands Of Buffalo by a
score Of 2 to 0, and even then only
i've hits were made OF him, showing
that the defeat was not due to poor
pitching Needless to say, Providence
won the pennant, or, rather, Rad
bourne won the pennant.
But the great player had to pay the
price. No arm could stand the awful
strain without great agony. Morning
after morning when Radbourne arose
be could not lift his arm as high as
his waist. he had to brush his hair
with his left hand. But he did not
give up the game He would slip out
to the park about two hours before
the rest Of the team put In an ap-
pearance and would begin the excru-
ciating process OF limbering up. He
would pitch the ball only few feet
when he would first go out, but he
would keep on trying time after time,
rubbing his arm with his left hand.
Sometimes his face would be drawn
up Into contortions, but never word
OF complaint left his lips.
Half an hour before the game was
to begin the players would slip out to
see how "0ld Hoss" was getting along.
They would sit silently on the bench,
waiting for his arm to get into condi-
ton. When he was able to throw
from second to home base a rousing
cheer would go up, for they knew
that meant the winning of the game
for them.
RadbOurne claimed for his home
Bloomington. III. After his great sea-
son with Providence managers all over
the country were upon his heels. Flat.
tering offers poured in, and he was not
under contract with Providence for the
next season either. When the contest |
was over the late Ned Allen, president
OF the team that season, sent for Rad !
bourne. He laid the release before
MIN and close beside 1t a blank con-
tract Radb0urne looked at them both !
Tor several minutes and then slowly
took up a pen and filed the blank out
TOR sum only $1,000 higher than he
had been getting and tore up the re-
lease. Allen almost fell on bis neck
and weDt for joy.
Radbourne's last year in baseball was
with Cincinnati in 1891, but 1t was o
sad year 1t seems n pity that the ca
reer Of 50 great a ball player should
end 80 sadly. That year his work
showed great deterioration, for the aw-
ful strain made in 1894 was beginning
to tell on his arm. At the end of the
season he was too proud to go into
minor league baseball and so entirely
Withdrew from the game He return
ed to Bloomington, where he opened a
billiard hall. He had little to say and
III unWinklng silence would sit In a
corner and watch the young men laugh
as they played He would talk about
himself only when cornered, and then
out for few short words. He had al
ways been an ardent fisherman. hunter
and sportsman, but he gave up the
open life, Each year his taciturnity
increased until he became almost sui.
len.
After q time he gave up his billiard
hall and retired into the obscurity OF
ms home. seldom letting people see
MIN. At last. in 1907, he fell III and
soon Dngsed amov parfIayA 0rn.