The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-08-15
WALSH'S STORY
OF COME BACK"
Great Pitcher Tells How He Re-
gained His Strength

When Ed Walsh stepped to the plate
in New York in mid-July. pitched nine
full innings and shut out the High
landers, he strobe from the grave OF
public oblivion into the full blaze OF
living reality and in doing so he play
ed the final scene in one OF the most
astonishing mysteries Of modern base
ball
In the September Baseball Magazine
Walsh tells his own story:
II date the beginning OF the trouble
with my arm to the city series OF 1912.
In the second inning of a game that
l pitched against the Cubs ! was hit
on the jaw by n linedrive which struck
me so hard that the mark of the
stitches showed in my face. 1t com
rletely dazed me- but l went on pitch
ing in mechanical way and finished
the game. | seemed to have as much
stuff on the ball as ever had, so
they told me, and as the White Sox
piled up a number of runs, won with
out difficulty After the game, when
! had recovered from the shock Of that
blow and the general excitement, I
noticed that my arm felt weak and
sore. as though | had strained IL.
However, that was the finish of a very
hard season. / had pitched in 81
games altogether. 1893 innings in all,
in addition to the hard work of the
series. so was through. And
thought little about it until the next
spring.
THAT spring was treated to
novel surprise. For the first time in
my lifo I was able TO take things easy.
Comiskey and Callahan told me to
train lightly and not overwork, and
followed their advice. II would prob
ably have made no great difference.
anyway, in the result. At any rate, |
continued to take things easy until !
was slated 10 pitch an exhibition game
at Venice I went into the box with
my old time confidence. II had been
long time since that game in the
citv series of the previous autumn. |
had no intimation that the arm was
not in as god shape as ever. And per-
haps I was more surprised than any
one else i'm the park when that Venice
club proceeded to hammer everything
I had to all parts of the field.
1T was most unwelcome surprise
and | couldn't explain it. But | made
up my mind to show better form on
my next appearance.
Certainly that possibility that I
might be even worse never crossed my
mind. And yet that is exactly what
happened. I went against the st. Joe
team i'm Missouri, and, not content
with hitting my best offerings freely,
they batted me out OF the box. IL was
a great humiliation to me and crush
ing blow to my hopes. | couldn't un-
dorstand what was the matter with
nv arm. for IL had never acted In that
way before | had taken great deal
NJ satisfaction in my arm. won't
DENY IL. All the years when | was
working for the White Sox, warming |
ND To be in condition for call almost
every day. pitching in 60 or more
games n season and generally taking |
mart in more lillllnES IMAM any '''''N
nitcher in the business. my arm had
never been even sore.
"The spitball is terribly wrenching
On the shoulder, hut my shoulder had
leveloped muscular strength that
thought could stand the wear and tear /
VI even this heavy type OF pitching
suppose | had expect
al 10 wear out some time, but even at Il
nv time of life. and ! have passed the
,o-mark considerably, | wasn't ready
10 say goodbye to the old game by
my means And l certainly didn't
want to quit. il | had to quit in that
way.
Il is hard to break your arm or
have a railroad accident or severe
pr exhausting sickness which robs you
" your effectiveness, but at least those
things are conclusive. They put
finishing touch on your career that you
Fan sec and feel and that Is final. But
In go aa I did. after a good season.
where I had worked as well as ] ever
,ad and then 10 lose vour effectiveness
,nconsciously overnight. and without
any reason. was too much. IL was the
the indefniteness, the