Arizona republican., 1913-10-14
HOW CY FALKENBURG
 PULLED HIS COMEBACK
Cleveland TwirIer Stuffed Auto Seats and BowIed Year Strengthen-
 ing His Right Arm.

1 The greatest comeback in the his l tory of baseball has told how he accomplished the seeming impossible.
 Fred P. ('CyD FaIkenberg, who was l sent from the Cleveland Maps to the 1 Toledo club of the American assO- citation in 1911 as a baseball has | been, gives his recipe for recovering 1 pitching ability, for the benefit of 1 others in the national pastime who
 seem to have reached the end of 1 their usefulness in the big leagues. l "Cy's" recipe must be good one, 1 for it is the one he followed in com ing back from the minors to fast company and making a record as the second best hurler in the game this year. The plan is simple one: Two winters of stuffing curled hair into automobile cushions, plenty of bowling during the cold months, and a careful attention to my phys ical condition were the means of
 my coming back" said the elongated twirler in recent interview. Sound simple-doesn't it? And it is.
 Two years ago, when the CIeve- land mana cement decided that my fast company days were over and sent me to their farming team in Toledo, it did look as though
 would have to finish my career in
 the minor leagues. My friends sym
 pathized with me, saying that it was
 merely the route all baseball play
 CTS have to travel; that the pace in
 the big leagues was a short and
 merry one at best. But I couldn't
 agree with them, even though I had
 nothing but my own belief on which
 to base my arguments. However,
 felt that I was not a dead one, and
 determined to work harder than I
 ever had before in my life to come
 back.
 Well, I succeeded. After playing
 the few remaining games in the
 Toledo schedule in 1911, I went to
 work in the upholstering department
 of the Willys- Overland company, in
 the Toledo plant For eight hours a
 day and six days a week all during
 that winter I operated what is
 known as a tufting machine, a con
 trivance for making back and seat
 cushions for motor cars. Day by
 day I dumped and pounded the long
 curled hair of commerce into that
 machine, getting a great deal more
 Of good, solid exercise for my throw
 ing arm than if I were pitching a
 game every day. All during the winter I didn't miss an hours work, and almost every hour I felt my arm getting stronger. Almost every night I bowled being a member of one of the seven teams in the league formed among the factory workers. I took the best possible care of my self, and in the spring, thanks to the vigorous efforts of the winter period, I felt as fit as ever in my life
 q reaped the benefit of my work in the season of 1912, making an eX- celIent record for the American as sociation with the Toledo team. That winter I went right back to the automobile factory, and hair stuffing, pounding away as hard as ever at the days work and at the evening bowling. Both did me a great deal of good, restoring my strength and hardening my muscles in great shape Early in the spring of this year I was chosen as a member of the AII-Overland bowling team which took second money in the in ternational tournament held in To ledo This spring, having investI- gated my physical condition, the Cleveland management took me back with the Maps. I have been meet ing with success all during the sea son. and can see no reason why l shouldn't be good for several more years of big league baseball
 In 1908 Falkenberg pitched for the Washington and Cleveland teams winning eight games and losing six Tn the following season he pitched the Maps to victory ten times and lost nine games. In 1910 Cy's rec ord was eight won and five lost, and in 1911 he had fourteen games won and thirteen lost to his credit His average for the four consecu- tive years of .548, and the fact that he was able to pitch only eighteen | games 9 season, caused the CleVe- land club officials to send him to Toledo In his first season there he led all the American association | pitchers with g victories and s de- 1 feats, a rating of .758.
 As a comeback pitcher Cy has | won 22 games and lost 8. an aver age of .733 for this season. And he l made a record at the beginning of | he season of winning ten straight games This places him second to Walter Johnson, Washingtons pre- nier twirler
 When he was returned to the Maps at the beginning of the 1913 season, Falkenberg was depended on 1nly to help Vean Gregg and Fred Banding, the two twirlers who were hen taking the honors for the Maps. lis showing has been so good. how ever, that he is now regarded as he best of the Clevelanders' hurl- ng staff.
 Falkenberg is by no means a in baseball, having been n the major leagues for nearly ten years. He is not an iron man, be- ng of slight, almost delicate, build. Therefore, of a necessity, more de- ,ends upon his brain power than lis strength for pitching success, hough he must be in the pink of .OpditiOn in order to stand the pace