The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-30
PASSING IF YOUNG
 CAUSE OF REGRET The Story of Veterans Trip to
 Birmingham HE TANNED M'GILVRAY University Boys Gave Him Trouble When He Wouldn't Thank Them for Pipe-Cy's One Sum
 day Game
HE TANNED M'GILvRAY
BY HUGH ". ROBERTS


 Denton T. Young? You can scarcely recall him. But Cy Young-why, you have known him all your life.
 We'll, Denton T., or Cy, Just as you please, Is passing from the circles of the big leagues, the circles wherein he has been a distinct star for more than 20 years. He is going out with the year.
 Cy Young Is properly rated as one of the remarkable pitchers-one of the most remarkable men who ever played base ball. He has accomplished some of the most marvellous feats in the history of the game. He has won more victories than any other pitcher.
 But to everything there Is an end, and even a man of Cy Young's fame and phy- sical stamina could not escape the opera tion of this memorable law.
 For two or three seasons the grand old man of the diamond has been on the wane. He has responded as readily as younger men when called to toe the scratch. and he has begun each game with the old-time speed and the old time carefulness. But in the shank of lllc Sdlllt Ic M6dhtHcu. anu BcllcIdliy q series of pings and biffs sent old Cy to the bench again.
 Well. to make long story short, Cleve- land, which paid Young a salary last season, has requested waivers on the vet eran. And no club of either major league, the pity of 1t is, has declined to waive it's right to the player. Some seasons ago ns bax cod hi sa Now he is worth $500 to no team of either big league.
 It is not believed that Young will drift to the minors. In the period of his yell low leaf he has. no doubt. lost much of his enthusiasm in the national game. He loves the sport, of course, but Is not driven by that fire of youth which renders nothing impossible, and does not longer seek that bubble. reputation, which leads even to the cannon's mouth. And Cy, serious all his life, serious in his work and not frivolous in his play, has boarded up a large fortune, and is now, in the time of his decadence, his fall, Is prepared to enjoy the fruit of his strength and his youth.
 It will be no longer, 'Old Cy Young had em on his hip yesterday afternoon, and did notalet up until he had beaten
 
 owns the plantation some miles from the city brought to town yesterday after noon a hundred bales of cotton and enough corn to feed the state for a year to come."
 With the Cleveland team last spring Young came to Birmingham and engaged in pitching duel with young McTigue The two fought out the battle for Il in had da hut score. During the engagement. McTigue. a youngster just bursting into bloom, was serious in his effort to hold his own with one of the very rocks of the ma tional game. On the other hand, Cy, chagrined that his team couldn't defeat his green opponent. waxed warm toward the conclusion of the struggle. His anger got the better of him in the tenth inning, and McTigue, at the bat. smashed out a long double. No one was out and it ap- peared that Birmingham would certainly score. Marcan sacrificed McTigue to third, and the fans sat back in absolute confidence that the day was won. But old Cy merely grinned. Facing him next were Molesworth, Mcbride and McGil- vray. each a good swatter. But Moles- worth could do no better than foul out to catcher for Cy was burning them across. Mcbride famed ignominiously,
 
 Gilvray. The Scotchman gritted his teeth and defantly waited. Old Cy sent one over the pan, sizzing. twisting, squirm- ing. Bill let 1t slip. Then came another, and a foul occurred. Then old Cy vast ed three in row. but Bill Is too good a hitter to be fooled by those which do not cut the plate And the game de- pended on the next ball to be thrown by the big Clevelander. He wound up, as ; z a wall Rut if came from his hand so slowly that the fans counted the stitches in the seam. Bill lost his balance and swung as the spheroid was four feet from the plate. He recovered himself immediately, how ever. and stood stanch as a soldier under fire, or a dog on cover the first bird of which had flushed, and watched the ball as 1t teasingly ambled over the pot. And the game ended the following inning with no additional score.
 The following day the Cleveland az gregation made a trip to Tuscaloosa Cy Young was advertised to pitch be- cause Cy was great drawing card, and everybody in the college town wanted to see him under fire. On ac- count of his age and his strenuous engagement the preceding afternoon with the, Barons and McTigue 1t was natural that old Cy should just shove them over the pan without an effort to fool. And the collegians rapped the veteran to a fare-you-well. But they didn't score, for Cy had his reputation to sustain. In the fifth inning, with none out, the collegians filled the bases. Old Cy settled down and famed three.
 That was an eventfu1 afternoon in Tuscal oosa. Before the game started the collegians gathered In a bunch and gave three cheers. for Cy. The veteran had just reached the pitchers box. When he heard the yell he turned sheepishly to the third baseman, cry ing "Rahv' The third baseman turnet to the second baseman, saying "Rah !' The second baseman, turning to the first baseman. bleated "Rah. rah!"
 But the boys were not to be deterred from carrying out their programme. They had prepared a surprise for Cy and just after the umpire had an nounced the batteries committee of the students walked into the diamond and, with a formal speech presented the veteran with a silver mounted pipe Old Cy took the pipe, without so much as a '"Thank' ee sir" and rammed 1t almost .contemptuously into his hip pocket. This set the Cleveland play
 rs off into convulsions, and the old veteran was embarrassed to such an extent that he was easy picking in the first few innings. But the boys couldn't score and though the Cleve- flanders got fewer hits In the eighth inning they managed, as a result of a shrewd diamond trick, to get d cou- pie over the plate.
 But once in his long career has Cy Young pitched a game on Sun day When he signed his first profes- sional contract he agreed to work three times a week. If necessary, but never to annear in a game sch eduled for tho