Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1908-12-09
A BASEBALL WONDER,
"0la Hoss" Radbourne, Greatest
OF All Pitchers.
THE HERCULES OF THE GAME
His Marvellous Feat Of Pluck, Strength
and Endurance That Won the Pen
nant For Providence In 1894 Rec
ord In Games Won

ord In Games Won.
Pitchers may come and pitchers may
40, but the name OF "0ld 1oss' Rad
bourne goes on forever have talked
to many great ball players who have
lamentcd to me the fact that baseball
famo Is SO ephemeral that IL was not
worth he gaining, and, while no doubt
this Is In great measure true there
Is one pitcher who has left 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 I'LL
nois produced n man who. although
now years deceased, has a brighter
name than any OF the great multitude.
In the great campaign Of 1884, when
the Providence club, then member OF
the National league. was lighting a bit
ter game With Philadelphia, a catastro.
pho occurred that seemingly would
disrupt It's chances of winning the pen
uant player named Sweeney. who
was pitching, was ordered 10 go into
right field 20 change places with ICY.
clone Miller. AZ that time II 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 dis.
banded Certainly II professional team
was never In sorrier plight,
Radbournc was approached and the
proposition put to him. II can win II
all right" said he quietly and In a
matter OF fact tone
Aud then followed the most remark.
able battle for pennant that the
world has ever seen Radbourne es.
tabllshed record that has never been
equaled. one that will live when more
expensive contests will have been
bllssfully forgotten, or twenty-seven
consecutive games Radbourne won
twenty-slx. In four games with Bos.
ton he 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 TO 0, ana wen then only
Ave hits were made off him, showing
that the defeat was not due to poor
pitching Needless 10 say, Providence
won the pcnnant, OF, 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
he could not litt his arm us high as
his waist, He had To brush his hair
with his left hand. hut he did not
give up the game, lie would slip out
to the park about two hours before
the rest of the team put In an ap.
pcarance and would begin the excru.
ciatlng process Of llmberlng up He
would pitch the bah only few feet
when he would first 40 out hut he
would keep on trying time after time.
rubbing his arm with his left hand
Sometimes his face would be drawn
M Into contortiops, 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 "Old lIoss" was getting along
They would sit silently ON the bench.
waiting for his arm TO sSt into condi-
ton When he was able to throw
from second to home base II rousing
cheer would 20 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 We're 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, lie laid the release before
him and close beside II blank con.
tract Radbourne looked at them both
for several minutes and then slowly
took up a pen aud filled the blank out
for sum only $1,000 higher than he
had been getting and tore up the re-
lease, Allen almost fell on his neck
aud wept for JOY.
Radbourne's last year in baseball was
with Cincinnati In 1901, but II was n
sad year. II seems a pity that the ca
reer OF so great ball player should
end 50 sadly. Tint year his work
showed great deterioration. for the aw-
ful strain made In 1884 was beginning
to tell on his arm. At the end of the
season he was too proud TO 20 into
minor league baseball and so entirely
withdrew from the game. He return
Ell TO Bloomington, where he opened
billiard hall. He had little to say and
In unwinking silence would sit In
corner and watch the young men laugh
as they played He would talk about
himself only when cornered, and then
but for few short words. He had nj
ways been an ardent fisherman. hunter