The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-12
THE MAN WHO BROKE THE
 PITCHING RECORD ALMOST

story on Pitcher James:
 Bill James. though at the age when most players are lucky to be fairly started, proved himself last year one of the diamond's great natural pitch CTS With a superb build for a twirIer Immense speed. great strength and endurance. he blazed his way to the front ons sheer natural ability. With. the further acquisition of ex- perience he should be one of the greatest a1I-round pitchers of history. Some day he may yetsbreak the pitch ing record which he came so near shattering in the season just past.
 The batting Of Hank aGowdy was the feature Of the series. The pitch ing of Rudolph was it's most eonsis- tent performance. But the one game contributed by long Bill James was the most perfect piece of twirIing skill day.
 James needed no grand worlds ser ies send-off to bring his name before the public eye. for he had just com- p1eted one of the best seasons a pitch CT ever had. But there is no dis counting the fact that his wonderful feat in holding the redoubtable Ath- letics to two lean hits in nine innings would have been counted an unheard of prodigy but one short year ago.
 James did not pitch so often as Rr- dolph in the series solely because he was a younger man with limited ex- perience to match the willy craft of Stallings' shrewd veteran. When it came to comparison of natural gifts there is no comparison. Rudolph bitches with his head his craft, his control James is a pitcher of prodi- gal gifts who can burn them over the plate with sheer speed. Give him the experience of his great team mate and at the same age he should lead the National League
 William James was born in Iowa Hill, Cal. All his life save that spent in baseball has been passed in Califor- nfa In winter he resides most of l time in San Francisco HeIs great hunter and hsherman. a genuine lover i of the open air A typical athlete, he is a born pitcher so far as build is concerned, and from wha the has a1- ready accomplished in that line there is no doubt that his vocation has been well chosen.
 His first play for money was with I the Hammonton team managed by l Emmet Schofie1d, who used to be a member of the Seattle club. Through | the advice of his manager. James signed with Seattle while still, in his teens though the influence of his fam l fly prevented him from reporting tin g year after. They were set against baseball, as they had quite a different career in view for him. And for a i year their influence was strong enough to overcome the lure of the diamond. Tn the end, however, base- ball tr1umphed and James went to Seattle
 This was in 1912. and he had a ] grand record on his first appearance. Among other notable achievements he | A. 1 remarkable speed but, as he himself admits. but little else.
 Nineteen hundred and fourteen found him in fine shape. a rejuvenat- 1 ed team behind him. the best of man agement and the rest is history. How with his two great teammates, Ru- l do1ph and Tyler has been written in 1 indelible characters in the annals of 1 the season just passed. But great as l was his record there was one feature of it that couldn't help but prove dis appointing to the great pitcher.
 James had won nine straight games | when he struck unexpected opposi- l ton at Pittsburgh. He pitched grand ly, the game going into extra innings, i but in the thirteenth round the vic- 4tory ebbed against him, the final count being two or three. Certainly there is nothing discreditable in los ing such a game as that. But the un- I fortunate part of it from James l standpoint was that after this unex- pected and undeserved rebuff he went l right on winning. never stopping until l he had annexed eleven more victories I What does this mean asks the en- nghtened reader. Merely this, that 1 James was robbed. by the most un- ] toward and unfortunate of circum- | stances, from breaking the worlds re- 1 cord for victories won. Twenty-one I straight victories might and should a record marred in the middle by ar hard luck that might discourage any I pitcher.
 Features in the Career of Bill James l His name is William James. | He is six feet three inches in height | and weighs over. two hundred pounds
 He is twent nty-tTol years old, and was
 born at Iowa Hill. Cal.
 His first professional engagemen
 of any importance was with Seattle
 Here, among other feats he wor sixteen consecutive games.
 His family were bitterly opposed tt
 his playing professional baseball.
 They had quite another career il
 mind, and wished him first of all tC l attend California University
 Last season James won nine tsraigh
 games, lost a thirteen-inning contes
 by the score of 3-2, and won clever
 more straight games. But for the un
 deserved defeat he would have brok
 en the record with twenty
 straight victories.
 James pitched the best individua contest of the worlds series.
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