Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-04
z CONNIE MACK AS PLAYER. Would Never Fit i. With His Present
 Athletics.

ton club of the National league signed battery that had been cutting wide swath in the Eeastern league circuit
 Manager Scanlon of the Senators had
 long been watching the work of the
 hurting end of that clever pair. But
 in order to secure this pichinB wonder
 he had to take his receiver along. The
 Washington club was well supplied
 with catchers and an additional one
 was practically useless timber, so, to
 pull the deal through in hurry, Man
 ager Scanlon wired the battery to re-
 port. Twas customary m those days
 more so than today-for pitcher and
 catcher to work, travel and go hungry
 together, so a bond of agreement was
 formed between Frank Gilmore huri-
 CT of 1rore than ordinary ability, and
 one Cornelius McGillicuddy. a bacllstop
 that could stop anything from cork
 screw curve to 9, freight train To SUCK
 together this clever pair agreed. They
 had worked as battery for Hartford
 with wonderful success; fame had
 come to them as a team and as
 team they were going to stick
 So the famous Hartford battery re-
 ported to Manager Scanlon on the 15th
 day of September. lSS6, prepared 10 do
 or die. When ScanIon got his eye on
 the pair he burst into roar Of laugh
 ter. McGillicuddy was tall and narrow
 and Gilmore was narrow and tall, and
 both were so thin they scarcely cast
 a shadow ScanIon immediately d1Ib-
 bed them the shadow battery" a
 name that stuck to them throughout
 their career.
 The very next day they were put to
 work, Scanlon not giving them time to
 have a fit of stage fright, and. on Sep- teraber 16 1886, Connie Mack, the new famous manager of the Athletics, thrice winners of the American league cham
 pionship and twice winners of the worlds series made his first appear aDce in the ''btg" league. This pair of long and raw recruits had to face the terrible New York Giants in their initial bow to big league fame. Gill; had to use all his persuasive eloquence to make hi mstick. After the first shock passed over, the elongated bat tery gave an exhibition that was classy in every respect. The lengthy Gilmore had a preliminary movement that was amazing. After he untangled himself the ball left his hand with terrific speed, and a curve that was marvel to 1 in the etght-inning affair. but the shadow battery. covered them selves with glory. Connie had II chances, accepted them all, also hit 300. The general verdict was .tnaI the catcher was a, find also and would
 Gilmore and Mack continued a bat tery until 1889, when Gilmore found a tinge of glass creeping ln T., hls Whap to the extent that he quit the game; however he stacked up one record that stands today. On July 2S, 1886, with the help of the foxy Connie he famed 16 of the St Louis Cardinals In & nine inning game. This feat has since been equaled, but never surpassed in the National league since that time. In the nine seasons that Connie Mack served in active duty his record shows a varied assortment of averages. his batting records show leaps fro mhigh attitudes to the foothills, and at times into the valleys below. And his field ing? It was 8 perfect scream with 309 passed bal1s-more than the entire catching staff of the Athletics had in 10 years.
 Mike" Kelly uaed to say: When the ball got by Connie Mack'Ss hands 1 there was nothing else to stop it," and it was & fact, for Cornelius McGilli- 1 cuddy tore off his mask and chased l after more balls that slipped by hin, | than any catcher extant. But. at that, 1 Mack was 8 good man, his work never | times showed up wobbly on the dia- nond, but his efforts always counted 1 and were 8 considerable faotor in winning games. So judging his real would take an awful stretch of irnagf- nation to class MT. McGillieuddy with the topnotcfers of his time. His really best year was in 1890. That season club of the Players league, record for number that stood for years hay Ing an average of s37. the best of his career.
 As a hitter Mack was generally con- sfdered good, not chasing with a 1 Sam Thompson, 8 Delehanty or i Buck" Ewing. yet Connie had some l very good years, intermIngaed with some that wouldn't suit the exaetfng l of the Philadelphia Amer4- l cans to-day. AS a. purloiner of bases. ! Cornelius did not shine About every I fifth game this elongated Hibernian, ! that could pace the distance between 1 bases in less than a dozen strides l would steal g. base. In 1888 Mack ] stole 31 basw-that was his high-wa- l ter mark During 1891 the speedless 1 ''Connies tore off three stolen bases l in games.
 If the Connie Mack of s5 years | ago was working for Manager Mack l of to-day, he certainly would have to l improve his backstopping and base l or the asfute manager of the 1 famous White Elephants would l have his hide hanging on the fence. l the phenomenal hurler, whose 1 twirifng was the means of landing l Mack in the .'b1g'' show. and whose 1 effective work held him there long enough to qualify. is now forgotten. 1 and only from the fact that he figured l in the early incidents of the famous l ,-,..,ooa7-ss i affSi he rem er1bered at l