The Washington times., 1910-03-14
OBERLIN Halls
FROM WOLVERINE STATE
Pitcher With Mysterious Middle Name Has Had ar In
termittent Career Since He Has Broken Into the
World of Baseball and Trouble
BY THOMAS S. RICE.

NORFOLK, Va, March IA sign OF
the times by which we may know in
iced thar the gladsome spring is upon
MS. despite six inches Of sroU tfat has
Fut rs on the blink. Is the presence OF
Frank r. OberIin in major league
training camp.
You XIII kindly note the initial r. It's
significance is unknown. Frank r posi-
lively declines 10 enlarge upon IL. We
suspect 10 IS the first letter Of Reginald.
but he cOyly refuses 10 answer. It
might stand for Returned" as ne has
been returned 10 the minors about rs
often as any man alive. but there IS no
sUch name
This pitcher with the mysterious mid
die monaker WAS born in Lansing.
Mich. thirty-one years ago Tommy
Ryan and Wade KilIlfer come from the
same State So do some of the best
twO-hlnded public land graftars that
ever signed a fraudulent entry. keene
Fitzpatrick has recently come from thai
State TO handle athletics at Princeton
Thus it can be seen that Michigan IS
quite important I'm American life in
more ways than one
There is no capital punishment in
Michigan. but we wish 10 draw the at
tention OF the Boston high bTOws and
senator Bailey 10 the fact that cruel
and unusual puuIsbmenLS are inflicted
uuOn its citizens with medieval sever
ity and in defiance of the Constitution
Tor instance. IL allows its E-u play
who have given signs or mf-.O league
raIiher but not made good. TO so TO
Minneapolis % play under Mike Can
tillou. This must be stopped. We are
willing TO serve as treasurer u an In
ternaJioual organization to see that the
great wrong Is remedled Writing base
bah is not an IL rs cracked up 10 be and
the easiest thing we have seen in the
money line is the JOB Of treasurer and
official booster Of a reform association
II Senator Hepburn viii only refrain
from making speech advocating it the
association we propose shoulC pay well
Started At Lansing.
But. back to Oberliu. He has had a
most intermittent career He has iuc-
tuatcd like the Democratic vote in
Maryland or prize fighting on the Con
Guit road. His first professional engage
mcut was with Lansing. iu the MicEi-
gan state League in 1899, and ne was
some shucks of a pitcher RE grew
weary i'm well doing and m 1900 and 1901
Ee stuck 20 the simple life on farm.
From cabbage seed he raised some OF
the finest heads that have been seen
outside OF a certain organization which
.uulicIv spreads an l54-Eame schedule
over an i6>-Sane period, then privately
reduces the schedule anywhere from a
week TO ten days by agreements among
club owners.
Realizing that ne was foreordained 10
lose i'm this head-raising contest our dis
couraged agriculturiSt sought solaCe in
1893 bv pitching independent bali for
Defiance Ohio. There he was SnaEEed
bv the thirteen hoodOo in broad day
light lie won twelve straight games
Tho thirteenth was against the Na-
yOIeOu Ohio. team, which had kisSeu-
ger, now of Buffalo. pitching, and Me
Clarke. OF Cleveland. catching. In the
ninth inning Of the said bakers dozen
game he broke his arm below the elbow
as a result OF hurting a drop ball That
ended his hostiitieS for 1902.
When he was invited TO the baseball
feast in 1902. he repeated an historic
deClinaJiOn- Il have married a wife ~
And the diamond knew him not in 1893
BY 1904 he had become reconCiled TO
marriage and signed with Fort Wayne,
in the Central League. He was on the
slab in ten out of the first sixteen games
the club PLAYED, and was on the retired
list for the remainder Of the season
with lame shoulder due 40 his over
work. Every Christmas when his heart
is mellow and ne IS full %: peace and
Cood win toward men. our hero I'm DIS
tributinE his gifts always remembers TO
forget that Fort Wayne manager.
Bought BY Pirates.
The year 1898 saw Frank r. begin that
hide and seek with a major league job
which he has continued uninterruptedIy
ever since. He was with Springfield.