Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-10-13
EDDIE PLANK, GREAT
ATHLETIC SOUTHPAW
eettysburs Farmer Is Twirlcr Connie
Mack Can Place the Most Depend.
ance on in the Worlds Series.

That Eddie PlanI, is likely TO dupH.
cate his feat of last year, when he
was the mainstay of the AtbIetics
against the Giants, is believed bv tho
best posted critics, '"'
me next issue Of the Baseball Mac.
aslne VIII contain the following history
OF Flank, who is termed "The Crossfiro
King. N'oSSlI'e
fltteen years ago Gettysburg Col.
iege was the baseball sensation of tho
eolleglate world, 1t was not that tbe
team, as II whole, was so cxceptionnllv
strong, but the mighty left arm NJ n
serious country boy brought them tbc
sweets Of victory, when oftentimos oniy
'he piow OF defeat was expected.
-, Then came the game with Bnckneli
Ine Lewisburg men, led BY blonde.
halred Christy Mathewson, had brusbr,
Dy their opponents as eusly as Ind
the battlefield collegians and their In.
comparable Eddie Plank, So tho con.
test resolved itself into duel between
their day. '' VI
II was not Plank g fault that Ge,.
tysonrg lost The cunning OF this grcn
southpaw was fully che emlnl of the
wizard skill Of Mathewson, hut his sun.
port cracked, when stcadincss was ,cs.
sentiol, and his alma mater tasted ihe
dregs Of unexpected defeat
Inc unvorying hand Of time moved
steadily forward. Both Plank and Ma.
!hewson, winning major league berths,
heu risen to fame as the greatest ex.
ponents of their particular STYLE os
pitching that baseball had ever seen.
Several times they had clashed, and ON
each occasion the breaks had fallen
in favor Of the blonde Bucknell alum.
nus, On last October, decade and A
hnlf after Motty's first victory over
his famous rival, they met again in a
test Of skin,
a victory for the Athletics would
clinch the title Of World Chnmnions,
one for New York would at least give
breathing spell to McGruw's sofely.
tried warriors, Aud Eddie Plank,
warming up before the philadelphin
dugout, glanced NJ the sweater cncased
form of the idol Of the metropolis, nnd
sworr grimly that he would win now,
aud wipe out NJ a blow the stigmn of
those other losses.
"The history Of that game ia too
well known bear repeating. Mathew.
son, with the gamcness that Ia chnrac.
teristic Of him, struggled desperately
against the inevitable but Plank
could not he beaten. Never In nny
World y Series game had n twirler done
~ mugnificcntly. Two scratch hits
were all the Giant sluggcn could earn.
aud when the dusk Of an October nirht
hud vcilcd the Polo Grounds, Eddie
Plank had not only brought the great.
est title In baseball to Philadelphia,
but had conquered the man whom he
would have given his share Of the series
money 10 beat.
"rhcre iS something about the great
Gettysburg southpaw that iurdstiby
attracts YOU His face Ia long with
something Of the Yankee In us shrewd,
kindly contours, There is the tensile
strength Of n steel spring In that lean
length Of his body, aud when he Ia out
ther In the box, shooting his cclrbrut.
eu 'cfossilfe across the rubber every
ian leans back In his scat and cheer.
fully predicts q victory,
"Plank's actions ON the mound are
peculiar TO himself He Ia deliberate,
though not with the csaspcrRtig slow.
ness of Roy Mitchell or 'Slow Jcc
Doyle, You see him glance ut the out.
ficlders hitch up his trousers. pull down
his cap, then his arm wirls IN side.
wheel motion, and the bali breaks "a
a white streak over the pan.
:" Il was pitching for Gettysburg, and
having pretty fair success against va
Iions college teams said Plank, when
Connie Mack wrote me letter, inyit.
Ing mo 20 come 20 Philudeipnsu Cor q
try'out, II was the first year Of the