Norwich bulletin., 1911-09-09
EDDIE PLANk's UNIQUE CAREER
All His Years as a Professional Pitcher
Have Been With Athletics.

All His Years as Professional Pitcher
Have Been With Athletics.
When the late Sir Alfred Tennyson
wrote about the brook that goes on
forever, his mind was. unacquainted
with the great national sport of
America.
We're the great Englishman alive to-
day, and a poet of our pastime, in all
probability he would have written an
ode or an epic to the southpaw who
goes on forever-Eddie Plank.
Much has been written about Plank's
career, and much can be said. OF all
that old guard that surrounded Connie
Mack when the latter led the path
finders of the American league into
Philadelphia, but two guardsnen re-
main-Davis and Plank. The latter
has been notable figure among the
pitchers of the American league
Born in the little hamlet of Mount
Pleasant that nestles near the battles
field that brought the war of the re-
bellion to its ultimate close, Plank is
known as the man of Gettysburg.
Saw Baseball Score at 20.
Thirty seven years ago Plank first
saw the light. and when he is thirty
eight he will retire to that farm,
closing dozen years that have been
filled with baseball achievements and
deeds of comparative glory. For
Plank will retire next season, having
rounded out by that time a dozen
years of active service. Plank has
been notable in his career for several
reasons.
First, he has outlived all the south
paws who started with him; secondly,
and. lastly, all of the years of endeav-
or have been with single club, the
present champion Athletes.
Now, there is a touch of the unique
in P1ank's life. Until he was 20 years
of age he never saw a baseball score
Until he was 1s years he never saw a
baseball and bat, and until he was II
he never pitched a game.
Then townsInan of Eddie, who had
been to college and returned to Mount
Pleasant, started a ball team. He
coached the town boys, and finally
brought them to the point where they
could be considered a splendid team.
Plank was taught to pitch, and he has
cast no discredit on his tutor
When Plank was 70 years old he
went to Gettysburg to college. The
coach of the institution the year that
Plank entered was that ancient come
dian, and splendid moundman of the
diamond, Frank Foreman, famous
pitcher of the old Baltimore Orioles
Foreman was there when the candi
dates for the ball team reported. Plank
didn't even know the look of a base
ball uniform by that time, as the town
boys all played in their farm clothes.
Foreman asked the various men
the positions which they had played
and Plank modestly told the coach
home" Foreman started the squad
working, and he Immediately watched
the southpaw closely. One day
| Frank took Plank aside, and said:
See here, you're there, and if
you follow my instructions closely I'll
make you one of the greatest south
paws in the country
Called 1t Slant Ball.
The coach never had a more de-
voted pupil. Morning and afternoon,
| sunrise and twilight, Plank was out
working under the watchful eye Of
Foreman. The crossfire that has
made Plank famous was invented by
Eddie, who called it "a slant ball' at
that time.
Foreman saw him chuck a couple one
day. The coach almost fell on Eddie's
neck and west. Kid" said Foreman
you've got about the richest thing in
the line of crossfire that the old man
ever looked at: stick to it and you're
made"
Planl1,s career at Gettysburg is still
a college idyl. He defeated every
thing in the shape of college mines that
came to the purlieus of the battlefield
and still his fame did not percolate to
Foreman gave up coaching at Gettys-
burg and went to the Boston Ameri-
cans the first year that the American
league invaded the Hub.
Frank was entering the evening Of
his usefulness as a pitcher at that
time. One of his closest personal
friends was Connie Mack. They had
been in the National league together,
and a deep seated friendship existed
between the pair.
n,,1 ,;rrI,t
in Boston Foreman went to the hotel
and saw Mack.
Con" he said, there's a lefthander
down at the college where your humble
servant has been coaching that you
want to get, His name is Plank. I'm
stalking you to this information be-
cause somebody is going to grab him.
Plank Takes Milk Train.
Connie flew downstairs. He grabbed
a telegraph blank and wired terms to
Plank, telling him if he was willing to
accept to join the club in Washington.
Plank almost had heart <ailure when
he read the wire AS Eddie explains
it. "his heart was almost leaping from
behind his tongue" Plank packed his
trunk that night, was up to take the.
milk train to Philadelphia at dawn and
went straight to Washington. He in
troduced himself to Connie and was
mea sured for a uniform
The next day after his arrival Eddie
was showed in against Washington. He
beat the Inflated Win Mercer GA and
had victorious debut. Chicago beat
him, and then Eddie won string OF
eight straight games. He was a win
ner from the start and with Waddell
comprised as fine d pair of portsiders
as could be found.
Since that time his career has been
historical. He led the league in 1906,
and in only one year, 1908, has he
lost more games than he won. His
record in that year with a sixth place
club was Is lost and Ia won. With
Jimmy Dygert in 1905 he worked
every other day for a month, and this