Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-08-15
MoRDEcAl BROWN.

~ ii hadn't been for the afansD Of
Terre Haute, baseball might never
Rave boasted Of one of the greatest
pitchers that ever hooked" ball
one whom coming generations viii
read about and ponder and whom
pitchers Of later generations will re
card e. 4 model. That u Mordecal
Brown, peculiarly known ss aFhree
EinQefed' Brown.
His was Undoubtedly the most pecu'
liar advent into professional baseball
|cf any Of those which have yet been
related In these columns. His story
follows:
Possibly never would have be
come a professional baseball pitcher
if 1t had not been for the fans OF
Terre Haute, Ind, where my career
really began. While they were not
the ipstigatofs of my breaking in, they
certainly were the ways and means OF
my remaining once had started, and
1t is to them thatI always give credit
Il was about to be canned when
the royal RIOTERS of that Three Eye
League city came to my rescue and
forced the manager to retain me.
after playing amateur baseball for
three years at Cocksville, Ind, where
my brother John and two other fami-
lies of brothers composed the entire
team, was given q tryout by the
Terre Haute club.
His First Day ain Camp.
"when ! joined there were some
fourteen others bidding for the three
pitching berths the club had open.
MOST of them were has beens.' but
] was a never was and it was tough
going to climb into the fold.
Il will never forget the day that
arrived in camp. ] was introduced to
I"Bills Krug, the catcher, who at one
time caught for the Boston club As
he gripped my right hand his face
clonded and he remarked, Another
left handerp He realized that was
q finger shy on my right hand and
naturally supposed that ] used my
left hand for pitching purposes.
One by one the other. pitchers we're
let out. Another fellow and myself
were left to fight it out for the job.
Finally we were in Davenport, Iowa.
1t was decided that was to CO. Some
how or other the news leaked out in
Terre Haute. Before had been given
formal notice to vacate an ultimatum
signed by a bunch of the fans was
telegraphed to the manager notifying
him that II I was fired they would
boycott the club at home.
Why He Became Pitcher.
I'VE had 40 game schedule in
that league and the club carried but
three tYirlers,. the result being that
pitched about sixty odd of the games.
] was a third baseman, too, but they
let me pitch more than anything else
because of my hitting. They didn't
want me to go to bat any more than
was absolutely necessary,
Toward the close of the season We
had to win eleven of the remaining
fourteen games to win the pennant.
was promised a bonus of suit of
clothes if I pitched. those eleven
games. did and we won out.
After the last game the manager
thought that ! would rather have the
money than the. clothes. so he pre-
scented me with a ten dollar bill.
when / first joined the club / re-
ceiyed the munificent salary of $50 a
month. Later l got raise of $50 a
month.
81 was never given a contract and
so had no qnalms about jumping TO
the Omaha club the following spring,
1902 That season We lost the pen
nant to Kansas City by one point The
succeeding year / was signed by the
st. Louis Cardinals. Pat Donovan