The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-02
SPORTOGRAPHY


 wi1bert Robinson. who was the star backstop of his day, said era being back in the nineties when Ned Han Ions Baltimore Orioles were copping the National League flag with clock work regularity. was born in Hudson, Mass. forty-four years ago to-day 'Robby's' first professional engageE ment was with Haverhil1. in the New England League. in 1885, The fol- lowing year he broke into fast conn pany with the Athletics of the Aneri- can Association, and continued in the main circuits for eighteen years. He joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1891. In them happy days with the Birds. promising youngsters as Muggsy Mc- Graw, Bill Clarke, Jennings and hee- Ter. and he was the main guy behind the bat in the pennant-winning years Of 1894, 1895 and 1sse He stayed with Baltimore until that city was dropped from the National League. Robby then caught part of al season for the Cardinals, but in 1901 was back in Baltimore. He rounded out his active baseball career in the city where he had won fame. retiring in l19O4, Since then he has conducted a l cafe in Baltimore. and has also as- sisted his former teamrnate, McGraw, | in developing youthful pitchers for the Giant twirltng staff. Rube Marquard and Jeff Tesreau were pupils of Rob- inson. and show the effect of his l teaching.
 1 Blue Bonnet is now the Mecca of I the followers of the gee-gees. and the spring meeting of the Montreal Jockey Club promises to be quite up to past standards, The stakes to be run during the session beginning to-mor- row include tho Jacques Cartier, the Windsor Hotel Cup and the Com Inaught Cup. each having an added value of $1,200; the Prince of Wales steepleehase. with Sf.50a added and l the Kindergarten stakes Ottawa and Hamilton will also have meets during June, and in the United States there l will be continuous racing during the month at Louisville and Latonia, the latter track opening on the ninth. England will witness three great races this week at Epson, including the Derby. that greatest of all turf clas- sics; the Oaks, and the Coronation Cup.
 One of the grand old rnan'' of the ring Is Prof. Mike Donovan. who for nearly thirty years has been instruct or of boxing at the wealthy New York II Athletic Club. The grizz1ed veteran of arena and battlef1eld-for, as a lad, he fought through the civil war-the
 man whom Col. Roosevelt and other famous men have been proud to claim as friend-the man who defended the
 Iniddleweight title against all the world and retired the undefeated champion, and who twice outpointed II John L. Sullivan in short bouts when
 the Old Roman was in his prime-will
 celebrate to-day the foFty-seventh am II niversary of his first professional rins | battle, Nowadays when a youngsteE decides to make 8 living with his
 clenched fists he puts on a pair of pill | lows and engages in a preliminary of from three to six rounds with another lad similarly equipped with small featherbeds on his hands There was Il nothing like that in Prof. Donovan debut in the ring, which took place in
 St. Louis on June 2, 1866. Bill Crow .i ley, an experienced pugilist, was Don
 ovan's adversary. The bout wal fought with bare fists, and went nine ty-six rounds They might have been fighting yet if Mike hadn't accident Il ally committed a foul, and so lost the decision.
 1 Prof. Donovan Is a native of Chfca- go, and is now in his sixty-sixth year } He was only fifteen when he enlisted in the army. After the war he kepl on fighting, but with his fists instead of guns, and in eight years had whip . ped all the middleweights who woul6 meet him and claimed the title. Hc held the championship until 18S2 when he retired. He returned to the ring in 1888, however, to fight JacE } Dempsey, the ''Nonpareil," who wal
 then middleweight champion of the
 world. Mike was then past forty . and the great crowd of fans who as
 semhled in Brooklyn to see the affail expected that Dempsey would make , monkey of the old veteran. Nothinl . like that happened. At the end O. T six rounds the bout was called a draw
 but the Professor had exhibited super
 for class and cIeverness throughout
 Nor was this due to any leniency or pempsey's part. for it was a grudg'