The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-30
PLAYERS NO Ed
FOR JOINT WORK
Catchers and Pitchers, Receivers
and Deceivers, Win Fame
Together.

Certain ball players arc. or have been
known to national game fame quite
as much for their association in pairs
as individually. Naturally they are
pitchers and catchers deceivers and
receivers. who have become prominent
as batteries. and the battery of Plank
and Powers OF the Athletics of the
American league is case in point.
Before death dissolved the copart-
ncrship last summer. DR.. Maurice
Powers was as closely associated with
the pitching of Eddie Plank as tho
In the harness up to a short time be-
fore his death. and while Plank was
too good pitcher not to be able to
get along with another backstop,
Powers had caught and handled and
coached him so long and so well that
the two were as near perfect In their
battery team play as two men could
come to be.
A noted team of bygone days was
composed of Getzein and Camel. the
pretzel battery, as they were called
when they played for Detroit in 1887.
The ALTERATION perhaps helped In
keeping them before the public as a
battery but. of course, only slightly
as compared to their usefulness.
The Detroits were the champions that
year. and Getzein won more games
for his team than any other pitcher
30. Plank and Powers were also on
"A championship team--the Athletica-
when they won the American league
pennant in 1905.
Brainard and Attater were leading
names forty years ago. They were
the pitcher and catcher of the Cincin-
natl Red Stockings in 1s69-7O.
Another famous old-timc battery
was Mcbride and Malone, for the Attn
letics, in 1871. But of those early
times the battery with the greatest
reputation was spalding and Mcvcy
OF the Bostons of 1872. A year later
Jim White was spalding's catcher.
Another alliterative pair We're Bond
and Brown-Tommy Bond and Lew
Brown--who afterward caught Johnny
Ward.
One battery was all a club could
boast at that time, Bond and Brown were
both big men, but their avoirdupois
didn't affect their skill. They played
In Boston In 1877.
Another weighty old-timc battery OF
note had Jim Mccormick and Charlie
Brlody In the points. Briordy was ono
of the biggest men that ever played
professional baseball. but no was a
good receiver. Mccormick was first
class pitcher, an easy and powerful
worker.
Cincinnati had another distinguished
pair, the Italian battery, as they wers
known. Mckeen and keenan, compos-
ed the Italian battery, and the only
thing italian about them was their
dark skin.
rI,< -. q
McKeen being a little fellow and Kee-
staches.E This was in 1855. before the
vogue OF the cleanshaven player
Everybody has heard of Clarkson
and Kelly two of the best and
brainest ball players the game has
ever known. Numerous pennants did
they help bring to Chicago under the
Arson regime, and when they were
sold to Boston for what at that time
was a famous price the deal was the
biggest ever made In baseball.
Carruthers and Bushong and Foutz
points for the original st. Louis
Browns, and their Notwithstanding
habit continued after they had been
sold, to the Brooklyn club.
Batteries were not split UP then as
much as now, Foutz and Bushong
have gone to their long sleep, and SO
has Charlie Byrne. who owned the
Brooklyn club when they were there.
Nichols and Bennett We're star
battery for the penant-winning Boss
tons Of the early COS. Bennett was
already veteran and Nichols a young
man who frankly conceded that much
OF his early success was due to the
sngacious handling he had from Benz.
nett. g t 3l
baltimore, while winning three pen
.nnnts in succession, In 1894 !, 1895 and
1886, owed not little OF Its chain
of Victories to the mastery battery
work Of McMahons and Robinson. an
accomplished couple who played into
.cach others hands like clockwork.
4 Before Mathewson ana Bresnahan