The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-13

known. Numerous pennants did they
help to bring to Chicago under the
Arson REGIME, and when they were
sold to Boston for what at that time
was fabulous price the deal was the
biggest ever made in baseball. Both
are dead, Clar1son passing away COM
paratively recently. Carruthers and
Bushong, and Foutz and Bushong
were renowned in the points for the
original st. Louis browns, and their
pennant winning habit continued at
ter they had been sold to the Brook
lyn club. Batteries were not split up
as much then as now. F'outz and
Bushong have Sone to their long sleep,
and so has Charlie Byrne, who owned
the Brooklyn club when they we're
there.
These timers worked together
with machine like precision, and the
name Of one always recalls the name
of the other, so closely were they
Identified in diamond affairs. Nichols
and Bennett were q star battery for
the pennant winning Bostens of the
early eos. Bennett already veteran
and Nichols a young man who frankly
conceded that much Of his early sue
cess was due to the sagacieus hand
ling he had from Bennett. Baltimore
while winning three remnants in sue
cession in "a and 80 owed not little
of it's chain of successes to the mas
terry battery work of MelJahen and
Robinson, an accomplished couple who
played into each others hands like
clock-work.
The years prior to that when Prov
idence and Boston were the keenest
of rivals and the battle between their
respective teams were diamond epics
the lustre of Whitney and Hackett for
Boston and Radburne and Gilligan for
Providence was as bright as that of
the Mathewsons and Bresnahans and
Browns and Killings OF modern days.
1t is true that Haekett and Gilligan.
the backstops, shene somewhat in the
reflected lustre of their respective
pitchers, but thatkwasn't the case with
Corcoran and Flint and Goldsmith and
Flint, crack batteries for the Chi
Cages in the early sos. Flint was a
heroic figure behind the bat. With
no pad and only the finger glove, he
took the pounding of mis- pitchers day
after day and season after season.
Though the catchers then didn't stand
up behind the bat all the time as they
do now, neither did they have the
modern appliances to soften the work.
Before Mathewson and Bresnahan
came to be New York's most famous
battery Rusie and Buckley and Keefe
and Ewing were the best known.
Rusie and Buckley came in to New
/ York together from Indianapolis, and
| it was big Buckley who was largely
responsible for Rusie's acquiring con-
troll to increase the effectiveness of
his wonderful speed and curves. Keefe
and Holbert for the old Nets and then
Keefe and Ewing for the giants were
/ great players separately and in uni
I son. Each was a player Of the highest
class by himself, Ewing to this day
being rated the peer Of all catchers.
! What team it would make could he
/ be paired off with Mathewson.
! When the New York team won the
Temple cup in 1894 the pitching
honors were shared between Amos
Rusie and Jouett Meekin. Meel1in and
| Farrell we're great battery in their
day. They were bought by the New
/ 4ork CluD, LHen owned Dy ~. -. 4 al
/ colt. and came here from Washington
| as q battery. Farrell was of the big.
strapping type Of catcher, a heady
| player and fine handler of pitchers,
/ and Meekn was big, free and easy
chap, who improved immensely un-
der Farrells tutelage. Farrell will tell
you now that Meelin had more speed
than any pitcher he ever caught, and
he caught the wnirlwind Rusie.
Philadelphia had two star batteries
In the SOS in Ferguson and Clements
and Casey and Clements. Ferguson
was fine pitcher and fine all around
player. Clements was q left-handed
catcher and as Casey TOO was left
handed he and Clements formed a
unique battery when they went to the