The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-12

him this year to the Lancaster Tri-State league team to have some of the rough edges worn off by experience. Covalesl1i pitched good ball for Lancaster and was mainly responsible for the teams place in the race.
 At the conclusion of the Tri-State sea- the tall Polander reported to the QualSers, and Murray used him first against New York merely as an experi- ment but with what success is matter of baseball history
 It was a knockout blow for the New Workers on October when the Quak- CTS trimmed them by the score of to 7, With the great Mathewson on the firing line the New Workers were cock sure o1 winning. and they felt before the game that they had the championship as good as won. But the Philadelphia Nationals, desperate to win goaded on as they had been by the unwarranted insinuations made against them of laying down to New York. went after Mathewson to do or die" and got to him for three runs, they hitting him hard in several innings Only fhe sensational fielding of Herzos at second base and their own wretched base running. caused by over-anxiety, pre- vented them from giving Mathewson a wors, ting.
 covaIeskrs ability as pitcher can best be told by Floyd Kroh of the Chi caRo team. who knew him intimately all year, and regards his ability highly. Here Is the way Kroh talks about this lad, who has suddenly sprung into fame:
 That boy is a pitcher; he is over six feet tall and weighs about l9o pounds, enough to give him great strength and endurance. and he showed with Lancas- ter that he had both for they pltcned him every couple of days all season. That is why I figured from the start that he could get into three of the games in that series between the Phillies and the Giants and I knew if he got started right he would beat McGraw's team sure
 "Covaleski has plenty of speed, all that any nitcher wants, and he has a great curved, ball. His fast ball has a jump on it and his greatest asset all season at Lancaster was his control. How a left- handler, with speed, a good curve ana control can lose to New York, IS beyond me and the work of Covaleski in that series more fully convinees me or the truth of this argument.
 When the fight had narrowed down to the point where one more defeat of the. Giants was needed to give the Cubs a show, Kroh, at the instance of his team mates on the Chicago club, telegraphed to his old friend Covaleski asking him to pitch the final game against the Giants for the sake of old friendship and say ing the Cubs would make up a good purse for him if successful. Covaleski was an- nounced as the pitcher for the final game before Krohs message was sent but the Cubs will stand by their offer, for they appreciate the splendid service he has done them.
 ''No one was ever able to get Covaleski rattled when pitching except Eddie Asch- enbach, manager of the Johnstown team, says Kroh. "One day Aschenbach had something in Polish written on a piece of paper and handed to Covaleski along about the middle of the game; the pitcher looked at it and walked out of the game, his eyes filled with tears What it was that Aschenbach had on that paper none of us ever found out, but 'Covie' quit that time, and it is the only time anyone ever heard of such a thing. Certain it is McGraw wasn't able to upset him.