The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-28
Russell FORD IS
CLASSY PITCHER
WINS HIS GAMES DESPITE pooh
SUPPORT GIVEN BY HIS
TEAM.
RECORD IS BRILLIANT
PREMIER MOUND MAN OF NEW
YORK HIGHLANDERs FA-
NOUS FOR USE OF "MYs-
Terry" BALL.
RECORD IS BRILLIANT
BY W. j. MACBETH.

NEW YORK. April 27.-No pitcher
Of greater promise than Russell Ford
ever bid for public favor. The star
Of Harry Wolverton's New York
Americans is a law unto himself. A
youth with the most brilliant part
Of his career still ahead Of him. this
wonderful tosser has already estab-
lished a record OF which the greatest
might reasonably be proud.
Let us analyse his case quite briedy.
Ford has been in the big show but
two seasons. In that time he has
won forty Eight games and lost only
seventeen. He came to the club at n
time when 1t was hard up for pitch
ing talent. In his first year out he
set the most glowing record ever
esta biished by IA green tosser. that
OF winning twenty-six games out OF
thirty-two pitched. HIS average In
1910 battered the 500 mark Of WIN
ming percentage, a notch reached only
Ivy ore other recruit. king" Cole.
of the Cubs. the same year. and sur
passed by veteran tossers such as A.
G. Spalding and wild BIZ Donovan
but four times in history.
Ford Is Consistent.
Foro 10 no flash in the pan. King"
Cole may or may not be. So may
"Rube" Marquard. the champion
southpaw OF professional baseball last
year Lots Of tossers have doomed
upon the horizon for one fitting season
Of superhuman endeavor only to sink
back into oblivion. Krause. the port
slider OF the Athletics. flashed out like
aacofnet In basebalFs ken In 1903. He
has made little noise or trouble since.
Cole went away back in 1911. Mar
guard must this year live up to his
1911 form to justify his claims to
lasting fame.
Ford had great deal better season
in 1910. his first start. than he did
last season. but only in 80 far as win
ming percentage il concerned. In
1911 he was with a sixth position
aggregation--a very. very badly mis-
managed sixth position aggregation
last season. Yet he came out Of the
fray with record Of victories In two
thirds OF the games In which he work
ed This. in spite Of the fact that he
had very little encouragement from
his hackers.
Games Thrown Away.
More than half the games he lost
last season were kicked away from
him. More than half were lost by
one run. His was no sinecure. From
the time he first reported to the High
!anders, Ford has had to work for
every victory. The various managers
realizing that he was the main depen-
dence of the tossing corps have always
handed him the toughest assignments.
1t Is Ford who invariably catches the
star contemporaries OF the opposition.
He has been forced to fight his way
to the top over such brilliant rivals AZ
Walter Johnson. Ed. Walsh. George
Mullin, Joe Wood. Veah Gregg and
Chief Bender. But for an unfortu-
nate accident last season his work.
even with a sixth position array. might
have proved quite as brilliant as that
OF his debut. He lost about half OF
his games while he was physically
UNIT for duty. Early In the season he
'beaned" Corhan, Of the White Sox.
For days 1t looked as IL the Chicagoan
would not recover. Ford. who 10 9
highly sensitive young man, was COM
rletely unstrung from the accident. In
two weeks he lost ten pounds He
was on the verge Of physical collapse
when the Injured athlete finally re-
covered.
Russell Ford is commonly classed
among the American Leagues great
horde Of "spitbalr' pitchers. Yet he
does not throw the 'spitball." He
will tell you so himself. He tossss
something that very closely resembles
the salivary slant ~ gyration and
al