Evening journal., 1915-08-04
johnson 3 YEARS
With WASHINGTON
Like Alexander, Walter is a
Baseball Product of the
Middle West
IS ONE OF THE
GREATEST PITCHERS

Walter Perry Johnson. the big
Washington twirler, rounded out his
eighth year with the Nationals on
Monday. as it was on August 2, 1907,
that he pitched his first game in the
American League. Johnson was born
in Humboldt, Kan, and did his first
professional pitching for the Weiser,
Idaho, club ten years ago He played
with the Idaho aggregation a couple
Of seasons, and in 1907 he was in
vited to join the Washington forces.
After a short time the big Kansan was
acclaimed as great find. and Il was
largely due to his efforts that Wash
ington escaped from the American
League dungeon. Hailed in recent
years as the king of pitchers. John
son has lately seemed to be slipping,
and the fans have enthroned a new
monarch in the person of Alexander
the Great. Grover. like Walter, is
product of the middle West, and,
whereas Johnson put Humboldt. Kan,
on the map, Alexander has made
known to the world at large that
there is such a place as st. Paul. Neb.,
by the simple expedient of being born
in that village.
Considering the fate Of those pat
riarchs who, as boys, predicted the
downfall of Christy Mathewson, it is
not well TO be too previous in sug-
gesting that Walter Johnson is on the
down grade, but even the most fer
vent of his admirers VIII have to ad-
NIT that the celebrated finger is not
the man he once was. Johnson is
now in his twenty-seventh year. and.
III he possesses the tenacity of a
! Mathewson, he ought TO stick around
the main show for many years yet.
While he has taken good care of him
self. Johnson has not saved his wing
as well as the canny Matty.
The Johnson versus Alexander con-
troversy is now raging virulently, and
many players insist that Alexander
the Great is a better pitcher than
Johnson ever was. This belief has
always depended largely on his tre-
,mendous speed, while the Nebraskan
has a curve that is about the most
battling that a batter has ever been
called upon to solve. It is admitted
that Alexander's fast one hasn't the
tremendous velocity attained by the
pellet propelled by Johnsons trusty
arm, but it is quite good enough for
all practical purposes, while his curve
and his slow ball are hard to beat
and his control is better than John
sons. A pitcher who depends largely
on speed seldom lasts so long as
one who has greater versatility in
the art OF inducing the batsmen to
hit 'em where they amt.
johnson and Alexander, born in
neighboring States. both come from a
section which has produced many
baseball stars. Everybody knows that
Sam Crawford was born in Wahoo
Neb. Leslie Mann. outfelder with
last years world champions, is a ma
tive of Lincoln, Neb, and Fred Beebe
former National League pitcher. hail
ed from the same city. fed Easterly
of the Kawfeds, formerly with Los
Angeles and the Cleveland Americans
is also a product of Bill Bryan's
town, as is Leslie Nunamacker. Joe
Tinker was born at Muscoda. Kan.
and Smoky Joe" Wood. NOISY John
Killing and George StovaIi all got theii
start in Kansas City
OF Johnson's many pitching feats
perhaps the greatest was pulled of
in 1908. about a year after his majo
league debut, when ne shut out New
York three days. pitching twenty
seven innings without a run.