New Britain herald., 1915-03-23
0p0Tt0gTaphy
BY GRAVY"
CACTUS" CRAVATH, 38 TO-DAY
HAD A HARD CLIMB TO
THE TOP
BY "GRAVY."

OF all the toiling, patient plodders
who ever attained fame on the dia-
mond, Cactus Cravath, the swatting
terror of the Phillies for a couple of
annums, is entitled to the belt. The
career of the hard-hitting Cactus"
which began in San Diego, Cal, where
he was born just thirty-three years
ago today, proves all the old copy
book proverbs about perseverance
meeting it's just reward. II the CAL
ifornian had permitted rebuffs and dis
, couragements to get his goat, he would
/ have quit the game long before he ar
vived anywhere near the top Of the
ladder
Clifford c. Cravath is the name
tagged to Cactus by his parents, but
, in the course of time the Clifford pre-
fix was forgotten and he became
"Gavy'' and at a subsequent period
Cactus" At the age of sixteen he
started life as a telegraph operator
just like Thomas A. Edison, Andrew
Carnegie and other celebrated men.
He variegated his occupation Of brass
FOUNDER by playing ball in q San Diego
uniform on Sundays and holidays. At
that period his ambition was to be-
come a mere railroad president, and
he had no thought OF reaching the
heights of baseball fame.
One day Cravath was reading about
the tremendous salary paid to GER
before the income tax, when press
tain baseball star-that was the era
agents could go as far as they liked
and it set the youngster to thinking
Suddenly he broke out into song.
II wanta be an angel" he caroled
Cravath wasn't laundering for a pair
of wings and a golden harp, you un-
derstand. He had just decided to
become a professional ball player, and,
as Los Angeles was the nearest big
city, he just naturally contemplated
beginning his new career with the
Angeles
SO it came to pass that In the year
A D., 1908, Cravath was enrolled as
an Angel in good and regular stand
ing, playing the outer garden for the
Los Angeles club. He wasn't very
good, and he wasn't very bad, but just
$3.50. He was slow on his tootsies,
and his fielding was far from specta-
cular, and for four years he batted
we'll under the 800 mark. In his
fifth season he swatted the pill for
1903, and this made him look good
enough for try-out in the majors.
The Boston Red Sox gave Cactus
his first chance in the main show. He
was used as substitute outfielder
during the early part Of the 1908 sea-
son, but long before the year closed
Boston tied a can to him. Cravath
then went to the Chicago White Sox
but he wasn't good enough to last,
and was turned over to Washington.
He wasn't even fast enough for the
Senators Of that period, and when the
1909 season opened Cravath was back
in the minors.
During the next three years Min
neapolis claimed Cravath's services.
He batted 1926 in 1910, and 1868 in
the Millers sold him to the Phillies for
$4,000.
Cravath was used as pinch hitter
by the Phillies, and on an occasion
now historic was sent up to bat when
there were two men on bases and
two out. incidentally. Mr.. Christie
pher Mathewson was the opposing
pitcher Cactus landed on the pellet
for through trip around the bases.
That feat won regular job for
Cactus with the Phillies. He bat
ted .2S4 in 1912. and in 1913 he bat
ted .341 standing next to Daubert
among the National league regulars.
Last year Cactus" didn't do as we'll
with the swat-stick, but he was right
up among 'em. Cravath still lives in
California and has q home at Laguna
where he spends the winter months.