Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-09-05
CALLAHAN one
WHO CAME BACK
After Six Year Layout OuttieIder
Puts Up Great Game.
PLAYS BALL FOR FUN OF IT.

Worth a Fortune, Is an Actor and
Politician In Chicago, but Loves
baseball Quit Job as Plumbers
l,.i,er to Break Into Pastime.
While carrying a bathtub on the back
Of his neck and drawing $3.50 a week
for the same Jimmy Callahan sat down
on the curbstone in the outskirts OF
Fi;chburg, Mass, one hot afternoon,
AMI his youthful brow began to wrin-
kia with thought waves.
Across the street he saw cluster OF
ball PLAYERS climbing into bus. 4
n2wspaper near at hand Informed the
,aung plumbers apprentice that those
fellows were getting $50 month for
busting baseball in the eye and then
had the rest Of the day off. For half
hour Jimmy grappled with this prob.
IN and then. with a sigh, picked up
his bathtub and moved on. BY the
time he had arrived at his destination
Young Callahan, who in those days
vas called Milky" threw down the
bathtub and threw up his job
As a result Of that desperate move
On the part Of Jimmy, though still
Lumber at heart, he is today the own
- of Il bail park in Chicago. is polit-'
/ al leader of great popularity, is an
| actor-a good one at that-during the
nj months. has stocking full of gold
lid away in the safe. is back with Inc
White SoX after !; six years absence
| aul is one Of the leading hitters OF the
american league. With all that he IS
ne of the most popular bali players
hat ever blistered an umpire.
This coming back stuff is no won
,iarful thing" explained Callahan re-
emily. Il never abused myself Dy
drinking or excessive smoking, anu
while was out Of the big league
was playing ball once every week with
The semipro teams around Chicago
When | started in this year l dldn
have to take off weight
Callahan is simply born ball player
and can't get away from it. For years
he was a star pitcher, and when MS
arm began to grow weak he proved
his versatility by going to the outteld
and becoming q star there. After SIX
years absence he is today hitting $50.
Jimmy Callahan has a very Keen
sense of humor, which accounts for his
success as a monologist BE delights
TO tell Of the day when he packed up
his things in Fitchburg and started
for Philadelphia to become a big
| league pitcher That was in 1894, sew
enteen years ago last June. After
throwing UP his job of carrying bath
tubs Callahan played regularly with
| team at t'itchburg and was known far
and wide as q coming pitcher. Finally
| Arthur Irwin. who was managing the
| Philadelphia club, heard Of the young
ster and offered him job.
The first thing Jimmy did before
| starting was to send on his photo
graph to Philadelphia, thinking the
whole town would be interested. he
then packed his belongngs-one shirt.
| two pairs Of socks, two collars and
ba seball gloye-into a little blue kles-
ter. Get that "kiester| Well, kies-
Ter is composed Of two PAPER mache
sides, something like an old fashioned
telescope. The clothes are put In be-
tween them, and then leather strap
binds them together.
This blue hester was the pride OF
| Callahan's heart, and with buoyant
spirits he got off the train IN Philadel-
phia. BY some strange mishap there
was no crowd at the depot to meet the
new pitcher, and Jimmy was keenly
| disappointed. He couldn't understand
it any more than he could the fact
that his picture had not appeared In
any Of the newspapers. This he blamed
on the mails.
Nursing his disappointment as best
he could and shouldering his Hester,
Jimmy went to the hotel and regis
tered, which was quite an important
formaIity. After finishing his sigma
ture with flourish he turned the reg
lister around so that the clerk could see
| it plainly. Callahan then swelled out
his chest and waited for the shock to
the poor clerk. Again there was pang
of disappointment The young man had
never heard Of him, and to add insult
| to injury the clerk looked him squarely
in the eye and said, 1T will be So In
advance, as you have no baggage"
This was another blow to Jimmy as
well as his kiester, but he paid his last
three bucks, took the room, and said
nothing. After gazing around at the
other players neat suit cases I began
to get ashamed of my kiester.
"Out Of $50 advance money which
the manager gave me paid the maid
dollar to take that kiester and burn
1t up. With SO of my funds paid
the first installment on a diamond stud,
and then I was big Lacquer"
Jimmy forgot to say that he 1rst ap-
peared in a $3.50 blue serge suit just
off the dummy, which blew out OF
| shape In the first big wind, and ne
couldn't get 1t on again.
In due time Callahan got his first
trial, and he plowed through the
league from the start.
The only reason for Callahan quit
ting the game six years ago was thst
he wanted to make money. Now that
he has made 1t he says he wants to re-
main on the diamond until they cut
the uniform from his back.