The Washington herald., 1909-01-06
CATCHER WITHNERYE
Cleveland Recruit Proves to
Be Game Backst0p.
GROVER LAND, HIS NAME
Big Fellow Has the sand that Helps
Win Pennants-IS with John Rays
Theatrical Company, Playing at
Washington Theater This Week.
Brief sketch of His Early Career.

Johnny Ray, Of the King Casey corr
pany. playing at one Of the local tho
a1ers. has under his wing the fastest
bunch Of ball player-actors on the road.
Rays baseball team IS famous in the
articaI circles. Grover Land, a well
known catcher. is a member OF the King
Casey" cast In speaking Of this players
ability a Cleveland paper says:
While Grover Land didn't get much
Of a chance TO show last year, it seems
as II the Maps obtained a high-class
player in the Toledo Tecruit.
John S Ray. a well known minor
league manager. the man who brought
out Land when he had charge Of the
PadUcah. Ky, team, has mighty high
opinion OF the Maps new baCkstop. The
following story Of how Land broke into
the game. as told By Mr.. Ray, makes
Interesting reading
New Catcher Reports.
Back in 1895 I had the Paducah- ky
club n the Kitty League. and al report
ing tine had four backst5ps. including
Benny Nippert. a man of experience and
ability. and three youngsters from the
amateur ranks. 10 try for the backstop-
ping Job. had seen one Of these young
sters work il fast semi-prO circles for
several seasons. He was always conceded
70 be q good man, but having a good
year-round job. had turned down al
league cffers- Another was the best
catcher IN his section of Missouri. where
last one was Grover Land. the big. husky
Frankfort. Ky boy. who is now with
Cleveland in the American League. When
Grover arrived ne let II be known he had
come 10 stay. whether we had one catcher
OF q dozen 70 tTy OII and. while the
others were nursing sore arms or COM
planning. Land was behind the bar in all
the exhibition games with as much pep
per as if he had been in the league all the
tine.
Land n Game Chap
I've played Cincinnati Nashville.
Memphis. Evansville and other teams
Of that class in the spring games. and
Grover handed Cut line Of talk ana
action thai had many Of the old heads
faded. .le was abCut the freshest
youngste- that ever broke in the game.
and he had the goods. TOO on the field
there is nothing chesty about Grover He
had the nerve
The other catchers from the brush
were ready % leave AT the first hostile
shot in the papers Nippert V@s anxious
10 manage an independent club, and, as
Land had made good. he fell heir 10 the
regular job and worked IN 2Il but q half
dozen games that season. One day in
Paducah he was out OF the game with
spiked foot He had played on Il for sew
eral days when most any other player
would have been IN bed We picked uD
2 local boy. who got stage fright and
We were about 70 lose the game. when
Land hobbled 0u- from the stand and
insisted on putting on a Uniform And
he got back there and worked with one
foot tied Up in a bundle Of cloth and d
shoe On the other and We Won the game.
on another occasion he ran into the
grandstand az Cairo and was rendered
unconscious but came 10 Just II time 10
grab the protector from Bobby Barlow.
who had come il from center field 70
finish the game We won out in the
race that year and carried but eleven
men and myself. except in the last three
weeks Of the season"