Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01

| To a certain extent "Cy'' Young was
| somewhat of an accident in base ball.
Stanley Robson, now president of the
St. Louis National League club, was the
man who discovered Young.
At the time Robson was owner of the
Cleveland franchise, and the spiders"
under Tebeau. were large grapes in the
major league vineyard
| 1t happened that Patsy Tebeau was short
on pitchers way back about 1890. In those
days they did not have scouts cOmbing
the country for talent, and the tipsters
on blooming talent We're usually COM
cercial travellers.
Stanley Robson was at the time look
ing over some of his railroad property
at Fort Wayne. Ind, and he was lap
ping up a few "eliXirs of mirth when he
happened to open up his vocal chords on
base ball. There was commercial
traveller at the bar, who liked base ball.
to say nothing Of having a fondness for
the elixir" stuff.
Stanley invited him to have a jolt and
also to discuss base ball. Rather odd,''
! remarked Robson. that it is so hard
to get a good base ball pitcher nova
days. I'm looking for a man for my
Cleveland club. I've offered enough real
money to choke manhOle to get fell
| low from one of the other Clubs but, say,
l can't make the DEAL
Have another and I'll give you the
best little three-Star special you've ever
heard tell Of since they named you after
| Matt Quay" returned the commercial
| traveller.
Robson accepted the invitation. not
that he was vastly interested in boosting
the we'll known product of the Bourbon
state, but he was anxious to talk pitch
erS.
| After tho commercial trayalor opd M
Stanley had inhaled their mirth water the
man of satchels and grips opened the con-
versation.
Say, old sport" said the commercial
traveller. you're looking for pitcher.
AS / understand the vernacular. you are
in quest of some one who can hurl an
elusive. 1eather-cOvered sphere. guaran-
! teed to weigh in ringside at five ounces,
| and to be nine inches circumference, no
more no less. somewhat near little
disk they foolishly refer to as the home
plate. Get me?
Discovered in Canton.
| Now, my friend. take my tip, pack
your grip and go up to Canton. You
| know where Canton is. It's the home
town of William Mckinley. and they've
got big sucker kid up there that can
I do anything with base bail except eat
| it.
| Say, ne got so mnCN speed that he
burns chupks of holes i'm the atmOs-
phere. He's the shoot 'em-in-Pete of that
reservation.
Watched him streak EN- over last
Sunday, and he struck out a flock of
! base ball players. l think ne famed a
| hundred or two hundred. | didn't keep
count Maybe it was only fifteen or six
| teen, but he surely did have those bat
! tiers tearing all kinds of chunks out of
| the air. He made them describe figure
| 'eights,' stand on their beans and wig
wag for help. You get your grip if You
want pitchem streak ii to Canton and
don't let any one tout you off"
/ Robson did as he was hidden. and when
he arrived at Canton he went out to
the ball yard. There was a big-lop-
sided zap on the mound He looked as
| though nature chiseled him out to pitch
hay instead Of poor little inoffensive
base ball, and Robson had to laugh when
| he beheld the World-renowned bear-cat
| twirler that his friend had tipped him
| off to.
Had Speed to Burn.
The big boy in the box showed lot
| Of steam. and Robison's desire to laugh
was turned to amazement. He had never
beheld any one toss ball with just
such speed and, precision and with so
many curlicues on it, After the game
Robson called the young hay miner aside
! and offered him a job at a figure which
made the youth open his mouth.
Robson slipped him transportation to
Cleveland, with instructions to find his
| way out to the ball yard and call on Pat
| Tebeau. admonishing him to he careful
| not to get run over by any street cars.
| as he (RobisOn) owned the lines and
! didn't want any damage suits.
The lop-sided boy found his way to the
| ball yard, asked for Mr.. Tea-bow, blushed
like June bride and told him what he
| came for.
| Tebeau called thinner and few of his
old scouts about him. and they openly
| laughed at the unusual looking boy who
had the nerve to say he might be a base
| ball pitcher fit for major league company.
| Chicago was in Cleveland. Old fans
| will recall those dreaded White Stock
ings. with Arson at their head, and such
stars as Ned Williamson. Tommy Burns
| Fred Pfeffer. Dalrymple, Jimmy Ryan
and that sort on the roster
Say, those old boys used to give great
| pitchers that earthquake feeling about
the knees when they dragged up their
hundred pound batons to thlImp the btu
men out OF anything that came near the
plate.
] Tebeau thought it would be good joke
to pitch the young man against these
''sluggers'' and see the effect He told