The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-07-18
.zM|CH IS SOLD
ST. LOUIS CLUB
National Club Outbids
American for Digger.
TO LEAVE TEAM At ONCE
Will Work Against New
York Thursday.
President Robinson and Manager
Bresnahan Of Cardinals See Ian
caster Game Then Pay Big Price
Hedges and Doyle There, Too, But
Are Outbid by Rival Club.
(By s. T.. Godden.)

Roger Bresnahan End President
Stanley Robinson of the st. Louis Ma
tional league club last night outbid
President Hedges and Scout Billy
Doyle of the st. Louis Americans for
big Ed Zmich, the local pride and al
though the purchase price Is not d.
vulged, Zmich was sold for the high
est price ever paid for a player from
this league. He will report at once.
Hedges, Doyle, Bresnahan and Rob-
inson were all at Lancaster yesterday.
only Doyle had seen the big Marion
southpaw work before. Rober Bres-
nahan saw Zmichs stuff, his courage
and his faultless delivery. Yesterdays
game was an ideal one i'm which to
judge the pitcher. He had a chance
to show his every angle and went
through with everything -he tried. 1t
was q crucial moment for the Marion
pitcher. He knew those experts were
watching his every move and the
knowledge only made him the bet
ter.
Roger Bresnahan, veteran of many
game and a particularly good judge
of a pitcher, saw enough to convince
him of the Digger's ability and fit
ness for immediate work in the big
show. When the game was over the
| magnates had gone to Columbus, the
bidding commenced. Bresnahan's bid
was higher than that of Hedges and
Billy Doyle, who has followed Zmich
all season and knows his class, stood
with tears In his eyes and his heart
in his throat while Bresnahan secured
| title to the player because Hedges
would not pay the price.
After the sale had been completed
| President Robinson requested the pur-
chase price be kept secret and this
was agreed to. 1t is known that Zmich
| was sold for more money than was
| ever before received for a player In
class ID league. FarrelPs sale for $2,-
| 900 last year set a record mark in
| the Ohio State league. The sale of
| Zmich brings an amount that makes
the former deal pale into insignih-
canoe. With the money on hand the
| Marion club can pay most of its back
| Indebtedness and remain In good finan-
cial condition for a long time to come.
| When the deal had been fully con-
summated and Bresnahan and Robin
son were boarding their train for st.
| Louis, the leader of the Cardinals
| said that he wanted Zmich to come on
right away and he proposes to use
him on Thursday against the New
York Giants. Fans OF this section will
await with interest and anxiety the
outcome of the popular Digger's first
big league trial.
Pittsburg was to have a scout at
Lancaster Sunday. He failed to show
up, having wired that he would be
here today. Other managers were to
have their representatives there but
some of them seemed to be I'm no
hurry. The Marion club, feeling that
all the time necessary had been given,
sold the player when the St. Louis
Nationals offered the amount that the
club was willing to part with the
player for.
But this parting is to be a hard
| one. Zmich pitched and won his last
game for Marion yesterday. He will
not don a uniform in Diggertown
again and will only come here to get
his belongings and take a rattler for
st, Louis to join a major league club
the laudable ambition of every young
player in the game. Zmich will be
missed; but the resourcefulness of
|
the local team will again come in evil
dence and 1t is the one best bet that
a live one to take his place will be
found If the present staff is not salts
| factory.
Zmich Is one of the most popular
| players who ever wore Digger uni
| form. Working all of the time to win
not only his game but games for other
pitchers and with the interests of the
club at heart all of the time the
| pitcher was a local idol. He came
to Marion before the opening of the
| 1909 season. Grand Rapids happened
| along here with Joe Raidy at the head
of the team. Long on pitchers, Raidy
needed an experienced backstop. He
had secured Zmich but had not seen
him work. He offered to trade either
Young Dye, who is now with Canton,
or Zmich for Catcher Charles Luskey.
1t is a cinch that Marion was willing.
| O'Day wanted to take Dye as he
| looked to be the better of the two but
Director Ed Staiger insisted on taking
Zmich because of his great size
something that major leaguers are
| looking for these days. Zmich did
good work for Marion last year but he
was worked too hard and failed to
| get control This year he ripened
wonderfully and had all the control
| anyone could desire. Furthermore
his earnestness showed Its results. The
pitcher was as anxious to learn and
as result he is today major lea
guer.
Zmich is a Cleveland boy. He got
his elementary knowledge of the game
on the Cleveland lots, going first 10
the Eastern Illinois league. Worked
not more often than every fourth OF
fifth day and he will make good with
ISt, Louis. This is the writer's predic-
the big Digger we'll.