Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-07-25
HOW TOUGH IRISH KID
BROKE INTO BASEBALL
Interesting Story Told of the
Life of James Callahan, Man
ager Of White Sox.
WHO COULD COME BACK
Made Hi. Debut With Holy Cross
and Temperance soeiety's Team
Jimmy swipes His First
Ball Suit.

Jimmy Swipes His First
Ball Suit.
They can't ON back That's the
by the soggy gloved hand Of one J..
Jeffries. Also. that same party proved
it a fact so emphatically and conclu-
sively, hat it has since been accepted
as an axiom, va the Denver Post.
But we reckoned without Chicago's
best beloved-Jimmy Callahan. present
manager Of h Chicago White Sox. He
did ibid it right. too!-for that pop
ular player is now sailing along at a
furious rate, making a lot of the speedy
youngsters look like the Old Folks
home themselves. Jimmy was out five
years, too.
Maybe he would tell his secret-if
there was any secrecy about it!
He was packing his trunk when the
reporter broke in on him. Jimmy would
soon be in Chicago, n he was happy.
Good nature seemed to envelop him
it played about his eyes and radiated
from his person like hits off his bat.
Callahan looks like a manager-or, bet
ter, a manager ought to look like CAL
lahan. He is a fighter and his face
showed 1T In spite Of his good spirits.
Some say a prominent nose indicates
will power and forcefulness-some say
it's the chin. Well. James o no
chances, as he possesses both prOmi-
nent nose and chin.
BIG Hearted Fellow.
But it's from out those far-seeing
yes OF his hat n obtains a line on
the biggest thing about Jimmy Gala
han-his heart. It is that that makes
him popular. For instance. recently he
was made the recipient of several
slight tokens Of floral pieces and bou-
quets from admiring fans. They were
presented to him when he came up to
bat-in regular prima donna style, you
know-and Jimmy bowed and thanked
with sincere appreciation. But what
did he do? After h game he sent the
whole flock Of flowers over to the
Ch!fdren's hospital.
They will do more good there" he
said. Do you wonder at his popu-
larity?"
But. about his career and his come
back ''Sure!" he would tell me.
sit was Just common sense and good
habits. Not much of a secret to that.
is there? But I didn't have 'em at
first
James talked, and by gathering ur
the remark that he dropped 1t wal
learned that .Fitchburg, Mass. was his
birthplace. on March 10, 1875. IA day
earlier and my name would have been
Patrick" he laughed.
Tough Irish Younsster.
Young Jimmy was a tough little
Irish kid and lived in the tough part OF
town-Tar Hill-where he scrapped
and played ball among the sands in the
lots from morn until night.
He really made his debut into base
ball when he was given q position with
the Holy Cross and Temperance soci-
ety's team. Sounds like Q good Begin
ning-but wait until you hear the
'how".of it.
You see. when this team was FIRST
the lineup-they hadn't figured Jimmy
at all. So the grieved and hurt young
Callahan did some figuring himself
and when the brilliant new uniforms
arrived for the team and the proud
players were all standing around adj
miring and caressing the garments
why, James stole in, stole q uniform
and stole out.
And what was more, the uniform was
to stay stolen, and was not to be given
up under any consideration, except that
they make him a member of the team.
What was the Holy Cross and Tenn
perance society to do-have h beauty
and harmony of the teams appearance
spoiled?-and 1t look time and money
to procure another suit in those days.
Whon re Broke In.
So they gave in. Possibly they
really meant to make young Callahan
one Of their players, except to the ex-
tent of getting their hands on that sto-
len uniform. but anyway Jimmy got
. chance to play. and that was all he
needed. He made 80 good that he
stuck.
Callahan did not make much money
out Of baseball in those days. SO to keep
eating regularly he learned to be q
plumber, and probably would have sue
ceeded In making one Of our best lit
tie plumbers II he had not persisted
in carrying more baseball tools to work
than he did plumbing tools.
So when, in 1894, he got q chance to
break into the old National league, no
gladly went. He was Q ball player
now-and pastimed with such stars as
Delehanty. Art Irwin and Harry
Wright. He played with Springfield,
Mass: Kansas City and Chicago Ma.
tionAls in succession.
He was four years with the Nationals
under Pop Arson, playing during
that time every position on the team.
Springfield saw Callahan again for q
short while, and then Comiskey
grabbed him for the White Sox. He
played five yearv with the Sox, Join
ing - q pitcher and ending AZ q left
fielder. Success bfOlfRht auCCeaa- and