Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-01-16
CALLAHAN ONE
WHO CAME BACK
After Six Year Layout OuttisldeT
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
Helper to Break Into Pastine.

HELPER to Break Into Pastne.
While carrying II hathtub OF the back
| uf his neck and drawing $l..o week
| for the s:luc Jimmy Callahan sat down
on the curbstouc in the outskirts Of
| Fitchuur., Miss one hot afternoon,
and his youthful brow began 10 wrln
Ela with thought waves.
Acres; the street hc SAW cluster of
ball players climbing into bus. y
newspaper near 1T land Informed The
young plumbers apprentice that those
| fellows were grttin" Si:p II month Ter
| busting Il baseball in the eye ana tuch
had the rest Of the day Oft For Il hail
hour Jimmy gralpIed with this prob
lem and then. with Il sigh. picked up
his bathtuh and mcvcd on. Hy the
time lie had arrived at his destination
Young Callahan. who in hose days
was called Milky" threw down tue
lmiht,lb and threw mp his job.
As Il result Of that desperate move
on the part Of Jimmy, though still
plumber ~ heart lie is todny the own
nr Of :: bail park in Chicago. is Il poilt'
| iral leader at great popularity. Is an
actur-a good one ut that-'lurns the
off months. has Il stocking full Of gold
| laid away in The safe. is uHck with the
| White Snx after Il six years absence
and is one Of tho leading hittcrS Of the
| American league With all that he Is
ono Of the most popular bali players
that over bIisicred IN umpire.
"This coming back stuff is no Won
dcrfuI thin-." explained Callahan re-
Gently. Il never abused myself by
drinking or excessive smoking. aud
while ! was out Of the biz league !
! was playing ball once every week WITH
| ;lr Seuiprn teams around Chicago.
When | started in this year didn't
have 10 take off weight
Callahan is simply a born ball player
and can't get AWAY from it. For years
| lie was Il star pitcher, aiii Wilcu hiS
arm began to grow weak he proved
his versatility by going Ia the outfleld
and Incoming Il star there. After SIX
vcars' absence he is today hitting ..'jo
Jimmy Callahan las Il very keen
sense of humor, which accounts for Ills
success as a mouolugiSt. lie delights
| 10 tell OF the day whcn lie packed up
| bis things in f'i;chbGr- ana started
| for Philadelphia tU BECOME big
league pitcher. That WIS in 1874. sew
| cntrru years ago last June. After
throwing up lis job of carrying bath
tubs Callahan played regularly with
| team ut titchbur@ ana "as known lar
and wide rs IL coming pitcher. Finally
! Arthur Irwin. who WIS Infringing the
! Philadelphia club. heard Of the young
stcr and offered him Il job.
The first thing Jimmy did before
| starting wills to send Oh his photo
graph to Philadelphia. Thinking the
whole town would bc Interested. He
then packed his belongings shirt
| two pairs Of socks, two collars anu Il
; baseball glove Into little blue kIes'
| ter. Cot that "kicstcr:' Well. Il kics-
-
| sides. something like III old fashioned
, telescope. The clothes are put III be-
tween them, and then Il leather strap
| binds them together.
| This blue kicStcr was The pride or
CaIi:,lian'S heart, and with buoyant
! shirts he got Off thc train in lhi!aQel-
pha. Ey some :;'ran@c rniSlap there
| WAS 40 crowd ut the depot Ia meet The
new pitcher. and jimmy was kccnly
! disappointed. lie Couldn't understand
! il ans ncrc than h. ccaId the FACT
! that his picture had not appeared in
/ any of the newspapers. This he blamed
Oh he mails.
! Nursing his disappointment rs best
| hc could and &hould"rim- his kiCStcr,
! Jimmy went 10 the hotel and regis
tered. which was quite an important
ioruality After iinishin. his sigma
turc with flourish he turned the reg
| iStcr around so that the clerk could see
| it plaiuly. Callahan then Swellcd out
! bis chest and waited for the shock to
! Of disappointment. Tho Young man had
Icycr heard of him. and 10 add insult
! 10 injury the clerk looked him squarely
in thc-cyc and said. 1T will be s. In
advance, rs you have no baggage"
This was another blow To Jimmy as
/ well as his kicstcr. but he paid his last
| three bucks. took the room. and said
| nothing. After gazing around at The
other players neat suit cases | began
To get ashamed of my kicstcr.
out Of So advance money which
lie manager gave Inc | paid the maid
/ Il dollar 10 take that kicstcr and burn
| Il UP. With $40 of my funds ] paid
| the first iustaIInlcut on Il diamond stud.
/ and then was Il BIG lcaguer."
| Jimmy forgot to say that he first ap-
| pcarcd in . $3.50 blue serge suit just
| Of. tho dummy. which blew out OF
shape IL the first biz wind and he
couldn't set it on again.
| IN due time Callahan got his first