Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-30
A BASEBALL WONDER,
"0Id Hoss" Radbourne, Greatest
 of All Pitchers.
THE HERCULES OF THE GAME
His Marvellous Feat of Pluck, Strength and Endurance That Won tho Pen nsnt For Providence In 1ss4--A Rec. ord In Games Won.

nsnt For Providence In 1884-A Rec
 ord In Games Won.
 Pitchers may come and pitchers may go, but the name of "Old Hoss" Rad bourne goes on forever. I have talked to many great ball players who have iamented to me the fact that baseball fame Is so ephemeral that it was not worth the gaining, and, while no doubt this is in a great measure true, thers 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 Illl- nois produced man who, although now years deceased, has 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 fighting bit ter game with Philadelphia, a catastro- phe occurred that seemingly would disrupt it's chances of winning the pen nant. A player, named Sweeney, who was pitching, was ordered to go into right field to change places with "Cy- clone" Miller. At that time 1t was not permissible to take a 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 professional team was never in sorrler plight.
 Radbourne was approached and the proposition put to him. T can win 1t all right" said he quietly and in matter of fact tone.
 And then followed the most remark able battle for a pennant that the world has ever seen. Radbourne es- tablishsd record that has never been eQualed. one that will live when more expensive contests will have been blissfully forgotten Of twenty-seven consecutive games Radbourne won twenty-six. In four games with Bos- ton he had three shutouts, only one run was scored and only seventeen hits were made. This defeat was sui fered at the hands of Buffalo by a score of 2 to 0, and even then only i've hits were made off 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 he 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- ciatfng process of limbering up. He would pitch the ball only a 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 a word of complaint left his lips.
 Half an hour before the game was to 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- 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. .s,-a d. t...ea>.- -.
 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 Prov idence 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 him and close beside 1t a blank con tract. Radbeurne looked at them both for several minutes and then slowly took up pen and filled the blank out for a sum only s2,ooo higher than he had been getting and tore up the re- lease. Allen almost fell on his neck and wept' for joy. 1= @'* ->7 a
 Radbourne's last year in baseball was with Cincinnati in 1891, but it was a sad year. It seems pity that the ca reer of so great a ball player should end 90 sadly. That 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 go into minor league baseball and so entirely withdrew from the game. He return cd to Bloomington. where he opened a 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 a few short words. He had al ways been all ardent fisherman. hunter and sportsman. but he gave up the open life. Each year his taciturnity increased until he became almost sul- len.
 After time he gave up his billiard hall and retired into the obscurify of