The Washington herald., 1908-02-02
Former Football Men Make
Good at Baseball.
MANY ILLINOIS GRADUATES
StahI, and Pfeffer Were
Known as knights of the Pigskin
Professional Ranks of the Dia-
mOnd-Beebe an ex-COllcgian.


bushel and shown on the diamond.
When football first became popular in
America and college men talked Of maxi
ing places for themselves as profession
al ball players the old-timers hee-hawed
and borrowed hooks with which to drag
them down from lofty aspirations.
They. gray-headed has-beens, hit back
in amazement nowadays when you tell
him that Ruelbach, Lundgren. Walter
Clarkson. Pfeffer. Jake Stahl. Beebe,
Arthur Devlin, Hub Hart, Lew Drill,
Dutch Meier. Dave Foultz, Ralph Glaze.
and Christy Mathewson were all stars
on their college gridirons before the
bleachers began 10 know them
It's been about five years since Christy
Mathewson broke into the New York
Giants. He's there 10 stay a while too
They like him. They ought to like
Christy He's the best pitcher the Giants
ever roped and he says his football
training az Bucknell made him good
Reulbach used to make the hearts or
the eo-eds futter long before he thought
OF hitching up with q professional base
ball team.
The University OF Illinois has turned
out more winners in professional base
ball than any other big school and every
one OF them was star IN moleskus
for q couple Of months every fall while
going to school OF course. they all
played baseball in the spring. but the
old-time idea that football spoiled them
for speedy iight work WAS all to the bad
Londgren from Illinois.
Lundgren came 10 Chicago direct from
the University Of Illinois three years
ago. Selee was manager Of the Cubs
then He had them training down on the
Champaign grounds Lundgren was
playing with the university nine all
spring and Selee got an eye on him. He
couldn't get Il of, so Lundgren had 10
come. He made good. Maybe it's Lund-
grens football training that makes him
do the best work IN cold weather They
call him "Old Cold Weather
Walter Clarksou was learning football
about the time that John Clarkson. his
brother, was sold with Kelly 10 Boston
and got known as the $1,000 beauty All
this time when John was known as the
greatest pitcher in the country little Wal
ter was carving out a way FOR himself
as left half on a football team. John
probably never played a football game
in his life Walter viii never be as good
% pitcher as his brother. but he has
. been a fair pitcher ever since he went
from college with Griffith and the High
landers. He is doing good pitching with
the Cievelands yet
Pfefer was picked up at the University
II Illinois. too. by chance. and after
ward was traded TO Boston for Dell How
ard. now on the Chicago team Pfemer
turned cut a remarkable pitcher after
he went 10 Boston He was not extra
fine here and the first time Boston came
here 10 play he surprised everybody bv
shutting the Chicago team out The
truth was Pfeffer didn't have much
chance here 70 show what he could do.
but after he got 10 Boston he got steady
practice and he did fne pitching
Beebe an cx-COIIeEian.
The University Of Illinois has turned
out a remarkable set of pitchers. Beebe
came from there, too. Chance got him
right after Pfeffer. and he traded him to
ST. Louis for Jack Taylor, and that was
where he made a mistake. for Jack Tay-
lor wasn't as good pitcher as Beeha.
Falkenberg went from this college to
Cleveland and from Cleveland to Wash
ington. lie jumped from the college
right To the Cleveland nine as pitcher
He did not amount 20 much al first but
since he has got in Washington he has
been pitching good ball, though nothing
remarkable
Selee also got Rothgeb. the captain Of
the Illinois State College and one of the
best football players in the State. The
Chicago Nationals tried him for a while
but he didn't make a good enough fielder
to take the mems places that thes want
ed to fill, and they farmed him out to
Indianapolis, and from there TO Troy,
y. Y
Jake Stahl and Jimmie Cook are both
from the Illinois University. which beats
them all in making BAH players. There's
the stubbornest ball player that ever
lived and a splendid first basemau. too
Jake's is a record for YOU Went from
Illinois To Boston and then 20 Washing
ton in the fall Thought so much of him
they made him manager. Had a row
and Jake swore he would never play IN
the Washington team again, no matter
how much money they paid him. They
wouldn't release him, so he came here
and organized the South Chicagos. Wash
ington sold him to Comiskey.
Then he refused TO play with Comiskey.
COmiskey traded him to Boston Jake
turned down Boston. and Boston traded
him to the New York Highlanders and
Griffith landed him He's just buIlheaded
enough not to go where he doesn't want
to, and now he's finally landed as he
likes.
Hart, of Georgetown.
Hub Hart catching for COmiskey. was
fine football player at Georgetown.
Hart had kind of hard work TO make
good as a first-rate catcher with the Chi
cago team. A great many ball players
don't make good because they never get
a chance TO practice much. Lots Of good
ball players are kept on the bench in
these days and never get a chance to
show themselves until they are traded 10
some other team where they have to use
them and they turn out good ball players
like Pfeffer and like Beebe. either one
Then the people all say they made a mis-
take in trading them But what Is the
use of keeping them when they cant use
them? They wouldn't be any better if they
stayed, and il is kindness to let a man
60 where they can use him.
Hart got to work by a lucky chance
He had always been sitting third on the
bench, with McFarlane and Sullivan
ahead Of him. Along toward the last OF
the season McFaTiane went of and never
came back and Hart got in with Sullivan.
Overall, full back on a college team out
in California has surely made good in
baseball and. like many others there
was M sign at first that he would mitch