Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-06-10
MANY TOP NOTCHERS
CAME FROM BUSTERS
Tw-thirdS of Great Players
Came From Lower Class
A Teams
FEW BORN IN
THE BIG CITIES

In our great National, American
and Federal Leagues and Glass IA
centres of population the fans are
much given to heaping contumely'
ridicule and such things upon the
A. B, C and d cities, which they
characterize as bush towns Yet
il is from these same brushes" that
the great major leaguers of tomor-
row must be recruited And the
minor league cities, in turn, must
look to the villages and rural com
munities, which are not even of Class
c or d calibre, but very much to
the XYZ, for the greater proportion
Of their players.
While the big cities have the edge
in the matter of finished players
the small towns can boast OF possess
ing most of the good row material
out of which the future greats VIII
be created. This isn't mere asser-
ton, but is backed up by facts fig
ures and statistics compiled since the
very beginning of the game. Even
those diamond celebrities who were
born in the big cities have usually
served their apprenticeship in places
that are comparatively small specks
On the map.
Careful Investigation shows that Of
the great players of today and of
the past, fully two-thirds were born
in towns ranking lower than Class A
in baseball standing, or in places
which have never figured in profess
sionai BASEBALL A man may become
president of the United States with
out having been born in log cabin,
and he may shine on the diamond in
spite of major league town nativity,
but the chances are decidedly against
him in both cases.
Among the famous players born
in major league and class AA cities
are Dick Rudolph. New York; Rube
MarQuard, Cleveland; Hank Gowdy,
Columbus; Rube Oldring, New York;
Beinie Zimmerman, New York;
Heinie Wagner. New York; Charlie
Herzog, Baltimore; Bert Whaling,
Los Angeles; Charlie Schmidt, Balti-
more: Jimmy Archer, Dublin-which
would be an AA town if It had base
ball; Nick Altrock, Cincinnati
Bobby Byrne, st. Louis: Birdie Cree
Pittsburgh; Bill PurteI, Columbus
Amos Strunk, Philadelphia; Hank
O'Day. Chicago-although Hanks
birthplace was a farm, since included
within the city limits; George Sto-
vail, Kansas City; Bush, lndianapo.
lis; Amos Rusie, Indianapolis; Steve
Evans, Cleveland Chick Gandill. st
Paul. Harry Davis, Philadelphia
Red Doom, Cincinnati: Steve Evans
Cleveland; Solly Holman, st. Louis
Willie Keller, Brooklyn; George Nc
Bride, Milwaukee; George Mullin, To
-onto; Ed Ruelbach. Detroit
Some list-and of course il is fai
from complete-but it is a poor bunch
compared with the stars who hal
from smaller cities, towns ard vii
lagos. For instance, Mathewaon wat
born in Factoryville. Pa; Cy Young
Gilmore, o.; Ty Cobb, Royston, Ga.
Walter Johnson, Humboldt Kan.
John Franklin Baker, Trappe, Md.
Chief Bender, Brainerd, Mimi; Nor
decai Brown, Nyersville, Ind; Jimm.
Callahan. Fitchburg, Mass; Franz
Chance, Fresno, CAL: Hal Chase. 10
Gatos. CAL; Frederick c. Clarke
Madison county, Ia. Pop Ansor
Marshalltown, Ia; Eddie Collins
Millerton, N. Y; Alexander the Greai
ST. Paul. Neb.; Sam Crawford, Ma
hoo. Neb.; Cactus Cravath. Sa
Diego. CAL: Jake Daubert. LlewellyT
Pa: Meanwhile, Springfield, Mass.
Bill James. Iowa Hill, CAL. john
Fvers. Troy, n. Y; Red Smith, Al
lanta, Ga: Larry Doyle. Caseyyill'
ILL.,: vean Gregg. Chehallis, Wash.
Nap Lajoie, Woonsocket. r. l.; Lesli
Mann, Lincoln, Neb.; John Coomb'
LeGrande, Ia; Joe Bush, BrainarC
Mimi; Eddie Plank. Gettysburg. p;
and so on through a list of score
Of the great men Of the great gam