The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-10-25
cooMBs STAR IN YOUNG DAYS.
College Coach Tells of Pitchers Work
in Maine Woods.

i 4. ii. HaggerlY, athletic director at
/ Buchtel college, tells the following con.
corning Coombs of the Athletics; Il
was captain and manager of the Water
Vile Mel professional baseball team
while student at Colby university dur
/ ing the summer OF 1901 We lost the
deciding game of the championship Sc
1 ries to the Gerald team OF Fairfield.
Frank Kane, the Amherst college star
pitcher, was in the box for MS, and
/ Phelan, now center fielder Of the Provi
dence team, on whom Brooklyn has
strings at the present time, played the
same position that day for Wateryille.
| Clement of Jersey City and Philadelphia
was with the Gerald team. The same
/ teams were to play their opening game
4 at League park in Wateryille on the
morning of July 4, 1902. The Gerald
team, with the millionaire railroad mag
nate, Amos Gould, backing it, had got
4 together some OF the best baseball talent
that could be obtained, while we had
collected, as was supposed, mediocre tai
\ ent for the Wateryille team. A good
pitcher was lacking to make our eombi
nation complete.
! During the previous winter, John
I Coombs, fresh from Kennebunkport, had
entered Coburn classical institute with
out any reputation as pitcher. While
he was pitching in one Of the early
games against the Wateryille high team,
which team | was then coaching, he
showed wonderful bursts of speed, but
had poor control This was a decided
characteristic Of his work for the next
three or four years. Waterville high
won the game because the boys waited
for him to pass them. Two months
later he was signed to work with the
professional team, and when the umpire
announced the batteries on that noisy
day it was Coombs and Cowan for Wa
terville. As Coombs stood in the boA
that morning, he appeared more like a
good, brg-natured down-east country boy
than pitcher He was about is years
old, six feet tall, and weighed 10
pounds With his hat pulled down over
one side Of his face, and wearing that
don't care smile, he proceeded to cut
down the opposing batsmen with the
same regularity that he was wont to see
the woodsmen of the Pine Tree state
clear the forest.
"When q men of the mighty Gerald
team had fallen, the score stood l6 to
III favor Of Waterville. Coombs not only
pitched a great game, but also scored
two good hits After the game, without
waiting TO be cheered by his many adj
mirers, he picked up his glove and
strolled lazily across the Colby campus.
Needless to saw all the Maine colleges
wanted him. but as he was pledged to
the Delta Epsilon society at Colby, he
entered His record in college ball is
matter of history in that quaint old
city. He made ali the players on the
big college teams step back when he
would shoot the fast ones over, Clark
son, Crockett, Cushman, Nourse, Lynch
and others OF the big college teams took
off their hats to Jack
"Coombs remained in college until
June, 1906, when he was graduated,
Notwithstanding the fact that he was
recommended to Connie Mack two years
before, he preferred to play independent
ball until he had received his college
degree. have umpired behind Mathew
son, whom | consider teh greatest pitch
er that ever threw a bill; also Wiltse
Of the same team. Both pitched in 4
game against a college team I was
coaching in Los Angeles while the New
York team was on its training trip in
the spring Of 1907. The game went six
innings. without run being made.
have also umpired behind my friend,
Ed Ruelbach, when he trained with
us ut De PAW university, while the
Chicago team was OH its southern trip
in the spring of 1909, whom | regard as
one Of the finest pitchers in the business
But when ! stop to think who is the
greatest pitcher Of them all. notwith-
standing the fact that two Of my for
mer pupils, Snodgrass and Shafer, are
on the New York team with Christie,
/ have TO give my little vote for the
American league"