The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-11-20
GREATEST PITCHER
That Ever Threw Baseball Was
"Old Hoss" Radbourne.

Pitchers may come and pitchers may
go, but the name of "Old Hoss" Rad
bourne goes on forever | have talked
to many great ball players who have
lamented 10 me the fact that baseball
fame is so ephemeral that il was not
worth the gaining and. while no doubt
this is in a great measure true. there
is one pitcher who has left a name that
promises to roll on for many, many
years.
Each year hundreds OF pitchers
claim attention of the world; and each
year they are promptly forgotten But
Illinois produced a man who, although
now / years deceased has a bright
er name than any of the great multi
tude
In the great campaign OF 1884. when
the Providence club, then a member of
the National League, was fighting a
bitter game with Philadelphia, a cat
astrophe occurred that seemingly
would disrupt its chances OF winning
the pennant. A player named Sween-
ey, who was pitching. was ordered TO
go into right field 10 change places
with Cyclone" Miller. At that time
il was not permissible to take pitcher
out OF the game Whereupon Sweeney
promptly walked out OF the game. leav-
ing the team with only eight men and
with one pitcher-Chares Radbourne
Two men tried to cover the field,
with the result that Providence was
completely showed under meeting
OF the Directors was held to decide
whether or not the club should be dis
banded. Certainly a 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 estab- |
lshed a record that has never been
equaled. one that will live when more |
expensive contests will have been bliss |
fully forgotten. OF q consecutive |
games Radbourne won 90. In four
games with Boston he had three shut |
outs; only one run was scored and !
only IL hits were made This defeat |
was suffered at the hands OF Buffalo |
by a score OF to o. and even then |
only FIVE hits were made of him show
ing that the defeat was not due 10 |
poor pitching Needless to say, Provi- /
dence won the pennant-or rather. |
Radbourne 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 /
he could not lift his arm as high as
his waist He had 10 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 appearance
and would begin the excruciating pro-
cess 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 contor
tions. but never word Of complaint
left his lips.
Half an hour before the game was tn
begin the players would slip out TO see
how "Old Hoss" was getting along;
they would sit silently on the bench,
waiting for his arm to get into condi-
tion. 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. This city has other
famous pitchers TO its credit. namely,
Jack Powell and Clarke Griffith.
After his great season with Provi-
dence managers all over the country
were upon his heels. Flattering offers
poured in. and he was not under con-
tract with Providence for the next sea
son. either. When the contest was over
the late Ned Allen. president of the
team that season, sent for Rabbourne.
he laid the release before him and
close beside II a blank contract. Rad
bourne looked at them both for several
minutes and then slowly took up a
pen and filled the blank out for a sum
only $4,000 higher than he had been
getting and tore up the release Allen
almost fell on his neck and wept for
Oregonian.