The Washington herald., 1913-10-21
Long Tom Sure to Come in
Handy Next Season with
Young Pitchers.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
By WILLIAM PEET.

Tom Hughes. the Oldest pitcher on the
Washington clubs payroll, was yester-
day confronted with the question:
why should you want to quit and go
TO umpiring, when Eddie Plank, of the
Athletics, nearly six years your senior.
can win pennants and worlds series
games for Connie Mack
Long Tom unhesitatingly replied: ''Tll
admit Plank is older than me, but l
have been in baseball longer than Plank.
He did not start in professional ranks
until thirteen years ago, and l have
been in the majors fourteen years, be-
sides playing two years in the minors
before had a chance to show in fast
company. Plank never played in the
bush leagues, his first professional en-
gagement being with Connie Mack's Ath-
letics.'
During the last summer Hughes de-
cided that this season would be his
last, as far as pitching was concerned,
and made application to Ban Johnson
for a berth as umpire in the American
League
President johnson stated that there
was no place for Long Tom" on his
staff until the veteran pitcher had made
A reputation for himself in one of the
smaller leagues.
1t will be remembered that when Bill
Dineen three years ago was appointed
to the American League umpire stan,
Dineen had really no experience at ALL
but was promptly elected.
In refusing to Sccept Tom Hughes it
looks as if discrimination had been
shown, but then the ways of big
league president are hard to fathom-
and when Ban Johnson makes up his
mind there is no argument strong
enough to change him.
Changing the subject and referring to
Tom Hughes ability as a twirler. il is
not at all sure that Manager Griffith
will want to part with his veteran next
year.
That Long Tom still has a lot of pitch
ing left is apparent to everybody.
During the 1913 season Hughes pitched
much better ball than his record shows.
He never worked to advantage in WASH
ington, where certain knockers in
variabl got in their dirty work, but
on the road he was frequently called
upon to relieve Groom, Boehling. and
others, and it is safe to say easily saved
eight o. ten games, checking with con-
summate ease promising batting rallies
by the opposition.
Manager Griffith has never intimated to
any of the local baseball writers what ne
pronoses to do with Hughes next year
st the time when Long Tom aspired to
be an umpire, Griff said: ''All right, Tom,
I'll go to the front for you if yCu really
want to quit pitching and I'll do what
can to land you a job, but 1 think you
are foolish to think of quitting"
With big staff of young pitchers on
his hands as Griff will have when Sne
1914 campaign opens, veteran of the |
Hughes type is sure TO prove a mighty |
valuable asset, and it is believed that |
Grif was perfectly satisfied when word |
came from Ban johnson that the Ameri- |
can League umpire staff next year would |
not contain the name of Long Tom.
Representative Bill Carey of Mil |
waukee tells an interesting story about |
George Mcbride. the Nationals captain. -
Twenty years ago" said Carey, ~ |
played on a semi-pro baseball team out |
in Milwaukee We called ourselves The |
Quicksteps, and our bat boy was none !
other than George Mcbride. a skinny. |
freckled faced kid, yet as bright as a |
new dollar and always ready to do what |
We asked him.
Mcbride got his first start in base |
ball with our old team. Many of its
members are still alive, and never miss
an opportunity to tell how WashingtOn's /
great shortstop once carried bats for
them.
Says n New York dispatch: Long
Larry Mclean, who caught the only |
game which the Giants won in the |
worlds series. is up in arms because he
received only 500 as his share of the re-
ceipts. Mclean thinks he should have
received $1,000 at least, in spite of the
fact that he was not playing with the
Giants during the entire season.
why. the mascot of the Athletics got
Gs much money as / did" said Mclean.
If the American League. maEnates were
sincere in their expressed desire to give
FRANK Chance and Frank Farrell a help
ing hand. they will soon have the oppor-
tunity. The Highlander leader had bare
y lit in California before he began MAX
ing OveTtures to get former Manager
StOvall out Of his troubles at st. Louis