Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-18
Bv J. w. Heisnan.


90 many college players are break
y ing into professional ball these
days, and so many of them with
great success, that the thing no
! longer occasions the surprise and
comment that used to ensue. Some
thing like 90 years ago, when l was
attending a New England college, l
can remember with what dumb
foundment we learned one day that
one of our varsity players had re-
ceived an offer from Boston. It
tickled us nearly to death!
Among Southern colleges. Tech
early took the lead in this respect
by sending the great Henley straight
to the big show. Unless my memory
fails me badly, it was to the Ath-
letics that Henley went, and it was
about thirteen years ago. Even at
that early date, when hardly any
other professional managers would
look at a college player, Connie Mack
had his eyes wide open as to their
possible usefulness.
When Henley first went to Tech
he played first base, and he played
It well. He was about feet l inch
tall but very slender. His arms were
very strong, and he had a fine free
shoulder swing Rather a handsome
chap. this Henley, and a good, jovial
fellow. Came from the little hamlet
Of Jasper, l believe. in North Georgia,
the section that also sent Craig Day
and Dewitt Poole to Tech-two other
awfully good players and pitchers,
who. however, never went into pro-
fessional ball
After seevral years of usefulness
in the big league Henley was sent
to the Rochester club, where he put
in a couple more years of good work.
But for some reason, his health was
steadily failing him and finally he
had to give it up. Just where he is to-
to-day. I can not say. I know he
went to Florida for a while in search
of improved health, and perhaps he
found it; at least We all hope so.
At the time Weldon was at the
zenith Of his glory as a college pitcher.
Mercer was turning out some exceed
ingly strong teams, Their mainstay
on the mound was the unfOrgotten
Will Gum, now successful architect
in Macon. 1t will have to be given
up that Gum vas some gun him
self when II came to making a noise
like a pitcher. and endless were the
arguments Of that day in rah rah cir
Giles as to which was the better. ]
am not going into a history of the
friendly feud, but it is worth OBJ
serving that when the two teams
finally did face each other at old
Brisbine Park, with their respective
stars down on the score card to do
the hurting, there was some crowd
present TO witness the ceremonies,
and some little excitement was had.
The game was won by Tech: score,
80 to 0.
a MOTHER great picher that Tech
Il turned out about the same time
that Henley was absorbing all the
limelight was little Jimmy Lavendar
now with the Chicago Cubs. 1t would
perhaps be more correct TO say that
Tech turned Jimmy out, or that 1t
turned out an engineer. not that It
turned out another pitcher, for. at
that time, Jimmy didn't play ball at
all, at least he never went out for
the varsity; and so it is merely an
accident that his youthful career was
in any way associated with Techs
Lavendar was born and reared in
South Georgia. He had seen a picture
or two Of a baseball before coming to
Tech, but didn't care enough for the
game to even come out and try for
the team. II was after leaving Tech
that his acquaintance with the pellet
grew into A thing of beauty; and
after slamming the sphere around
corner lots for a short time. it was