The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-17


diers, scholars. statesmen. writer's
both prose and verse--whp viii OBJ
+! serve the day will be the athletes
( Faith that sounds queer, so II does,
but consider the day IL Is.
All over the land there viii be
speeches, and parades, and speeches,
and banquets and speeches and last
but not least. there will be games,
lashins and LAWNS OF sport--and
speeches. OF course there viii lie
more speeches than anything else, for
no true lrishman IN really happy un-
! less he is making one. no m&tter
who iF talking. unless he is engaged
/ In some sport, before making one.
| And as to the kind of sport. ii Is
all the same. In fight or frolic
| or both an Irishman is equally at
/ home.
| If il wasn't tor the cold weather
| YOU would see Manager Jimmy Sui
! Ivan out with George Cowan telling
the boys OF the Richmond team how
10 emulate the example Of great
Irishmen, past and present-king
/ Kelly. for instance, and Mccormick
and heefe and Jim oRourke and
! Roger Common. and Joe Tuest and
Jerry Denny. ana Hornung and Gore
and Herman, Duffy Mccarthy, joe
Kelley and Keller. Frank Chance
/ and Roger Bresnahan, I'D Walsh and
Johnny Evers--
| But why go on?
! In baseball the Irishman has made
| his mark. Somebody may say that
Johnny Killing was the greatest man
who ever stood behind the bat, but
some other fellow will yell:
/ How about King Kelly
Among the stars OF to-day a pretty
| fair team could be picked up, one
that would resemble closely an all-star
! aggregation.
Put Roger Bresnahan behind the
bat and big led. Walsh in the box and
you have a pretty fair battery.
Stick Frank Chance on first, Eddie
! Collins ON second Jack Barry at
short. Arthur Deviin at third. Magee,
Murray and Mitchell in the outtield
and YOU VIII come very near having
one grand team. Even McGraw would
be satisfied with that bunch.
To be sure the Germans are com
ing to the fore, Schultz and Paskert
and Bescher and Covalesh and
Litschi and other Dutchmen but the
irish still furnish the backbone OF
the great national game, just the
same.
To he sure there are those who for
get that there forefathers or fore
mothers were Irish, Yet there are
those who are proud to remembei
! the name OF the boat they came over
on. Sure. Mr.. Dooley says we ars
. ali furriners. only some of us missed
: the first boat. And again he says
An Irishman is a furriner born ava,
from home" which would make Ii
all Irish, by the same token.
But to get back to 1T. Patrick's da,
and athletics.
There was Mclaughlin, the jockey
and Tod Sloan. And to-day littl
Powers and Martin are none 80 bad
However, racing is not the grea
soprt II was once so there is not s.
!. great an incentive TO shine in tina
, line. nowadays
Take football. Think of Johnn
Fitzpatrick. Cooney and Shevlin an,
!, Yale Hogan. Hinkey and tho othe
: Irish boys who have won fame at tina
game. For further Information in
!. quire at Georgetown.
. 'Tis an Irishman, Mike Sweene,
who holds the record In high jump
ing. It's an Irishman, Tommy Con
|, neff. who holds the worlds amateu
! record for mile. Among Splinter
2 who was greater than Duffy ant
L Kelly. unies 1t was RECTOR In tn
middle distances Mel Sheppard L
: king.
1 In the weights. shot and hamme
Sheridan, McGrath and F'iannagal
are among the elect. An Irish boy
Hayes. won the last Olympic mara
thon. And among the boxers-aw
man. but you find the Irish name
writ large there.
Ask any Irishman who was tn
greatest fighter that ever lived an
ne will reply quick:
John l.. SULLIVAN
Doubt II, merely suggest that Jane
J. Jeffries was better man, If yo'
dare. The scorn that will be heapet
upon you will fairly cause you t,
shrivel UP.
= And for q fact the Irish have Ionl
4 been almost supreme in the ring. Cor
bett. the cleverest heavyweight wht
ever donned glove, was of lrisi
parentage. Fftzsimmons. born IL
. Cornwall OF Irish parentage, succeed
ed Corbett.
|, Take every class in the pugilis
: McAulifre, Dempsey. probably tn
; greatest OF all the men OF thei
weight. past or present.
! To-day 1t IL Coulon, Mcfarland
Moran "Bruminagen boy" but o.
Irish parents--Gardner-- there lie
us quit, for blackness comes upor
the rest of the picture.
Why, up to a few years ago a mar
who did not have an Irish name wa.
not looked upon as real boxer
Those who did not possess them wen,
and took them.
Tommy Ryan's right name is Joseph
Youngs. Kid McCoy's family name
Ia Seiby; given name Norman. Hugo
kelley'S proper name is probably Sill
VIC Serretti. or something similar.
Many a yoongster who appeared In
public as Kid Murphy is in reality
young Moses Lavinski
Prompted by Bill Toler here's our
own great pitcher Quinn, once OF
Richmond, now of the New YORK;
Iiighlanders. Quinn at home is Jack
Picus. And he Is not the only mas
querade In the baseball world.
And In wrestling annals you will
find the name OF Muldoon, and Far
mer Burns and Mclaughlin and a
score more OF real old Irish names.
There have been some great swim
mers. past and present. but McNally.
an Irishman, probably holds more dis
lance records than any other man.
Sure, one could go on and on. NAM