New-York tribune., 1912-02-07
TIMELY BITS OF SPORT
MCGraW May Be TrifIing with
Fate in Buying Pierce.
TRIAL FOR COLUMBIA MAN
Side Partner of Eddie Collins
Will Get a Chance to
Shine with Giants.

John I McGraw does not bank heavily
on the records which his recruits make III
the minor leagues. as is well known ouI
In signing a big southpaw pitcher yester-
dav bv the name Of George T. Pierce ne
seems almost TO be trifling with rate IN
his years Of experience MCGraw has seen
many a bush league" wonder fade into
insisnifcance when he struck fast COM
pany. while on the other hand ne mas
watched the development Of many an oTul-
nary minor organization man into ols
league star This primarily has prompted
the Little Napoleon to take Pierce TO Marin
Springs. Naturally, he has received goou
reports about the youngster, but the hs-
ures have a depressing effect. 1t may oe'
however. that Pierce will become a star
such are the uncertainties Of baseball.
Pierce played with the Buffalo ana
Providence clubs, of the international
League. last year. and brought up the rear
OF all the twirlers in the organization
With the Yankees, on the one hand trylhs
ont the best pitcher Of the league, IN
George Mcconnell. and the Giants giving
chance to the man who was unqueston-
ably the poorest, the result Will De inter
esting to watch. Pierce twirled In SIX
teen games last season, winning t"o'
suffering thirteen defeats and pitching one
lie for an average Of l33 He took part in
thirteen other contests, but failed to so the
full route. More runs were scored on ms
delivery per inning pitched than or that
of aDy other mound artist in the organlza-
tino. With llS strike outs, he was above
the average, but the bases on balls Whlch
he gave numbered 81 In fielding he was
also near the bottom, with an average or
sS His batting average was .3S, when
was the result Of 70 hits, all singles, in %
times al bat. BY and large these figures
are about the worst that any man ever
took with him into the major league.
In 1910 Pierce played with the Augusta
club. of the South Atlantic League. lie
won sixteen and lost eighteen games. lie
was drafted by the Boston Red Sox that
year and was turned back to the Interna-
tional League. At the end OF last season
Providence sold Pierce TO the Mobile club,
Of the Southern Association, the club from
which McGraw has just purchased him.
The signed contract Of another McGraw
speculation, not without its rosy unge,
was received at the headquarters of the
Giants yesterday The document was
decorated with the signature of Frank +.
Mcdowell. OF No 527 West Hist street, Man
haitian. Followers Of intercollegiate base
bail will recognize the name Immediately.
Nohowel is none other than than the side
partner Of Eddie Collins on the Columbia
University team Of 1905 and 1906. Nohowel
rlsyed third base and Collins shortstop on
that team, and they gave lustre to a,
sparkling infeld. McGraw has had his eye
on Mcdowell for some time, and two years
ago tried to get him TO sign q contract.
The player, however, was attending the
Columbia Law School at the time and did
not have any inclination to enter pro-
fessional baseball. The last few summers
have found him playing with amateur
mines on Long Island. The lure Of the dia-
mond, with It's contingent financial re-
muneratiOns, has evidently proved strong,
and McGraw will take Mcdowell to Marlin
Springs for trial.
Eddie Collins was always considered the
class Of the Columbia team on which both
men played. He was a strong hitter and
a lively fielder, but Mcdowell ranked sec
ond in the estimation of many critics.
Whether he can be developed into Il big
league star remains to be seen. He has
wonderful arm according TO reports, and
Billy Lauder. who coached the Columbia
team in the days of Collins, has informed
McGraw that the youngster has the
goods" II is not beyond the realms of
possibility to see Collins and Mcdowell
playing on rival teams for worlds cham
pionship at no distant date.
Bugs" Raymond is still on the map.
A day or two ago he rescued man from
three thugs who tried 10 hold up their vic
tim in one of the suburbs Of Chicago Ray
mond responded to the call 20 arms and
put all three TO fight. One of them felt
the full force of the good right arm that
used TO whip them over at the Polo
Grounds. Bugs" found the victim of the
assault slightly injured and took him to a
police station, where he received medical
attendance.
The report that series Of exhibition
games was being arranged between the
Giants ana the Chicago White soX in
Texas was denied at the headquarters of
the New York club yesterday.
Mahmout, the Turkish wrestler. who de-
feated Burns in two straight falls in Bos-
ton last Monday, is the latest TO demand a
match with the winner of the Zbyszko-
Raicevitch bout at Madison Square Garden
next Monday night. He sent a telegram
10 the managers of the Garden match yes
tcrday, saying that he would meet the
winner upon any terms. The Turk has
been touring the country this season with
Frank Gotch the worlds champion. and
Gotch has been demanding that any one
who wants 10 wrestle him for the title will
first have to meet and defeat Mahmout.
At a recent meeting Of the games COM
rrittee Of the Pastime Athletic Club half
mile relay. scratch. was substituted for
the one-r1ile relay race, handicap and
fye-mlle run, scretch, was put on in place
Of the ten-mile run. The committee also
ADDED a One-mile scratch pursuit bicycle
race. The games will be held at the 22d
Regiment Armory on February o.
John r. Richards coach Of the Uni
rersity OF Wisconsin football team, be-
lieves that the changes in the code made
by the rules committee on Saturday will
u \ II (