Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-07-14
OLD TINE PITCHERS
Some of the Former Stars Who
Won Fame on the Diamond.
THEIR FEATs OF ENDURANCE.

spaIdine All Alone TwirIed the Old
Boston Nationals to Victory Four
Years In Succession = Radbourne's
Great Record-Some Sad Finishes.
What becomes of all the great pitch
ers who thrill the baseball pOpulace
for a day? That depends upon the
age in which they lived. If a man
won his fame in the period from twen-
ty to forty years ago he probably went
back penniless to manual labor whence
he came, or else he found an early
grave. But if lie was fortunate enough
to make his baseball fame within the
last score of years he may still be
drawing a good salary from some club
treasury. Or he may be enjoying pros
perity as successful business man.
A. G.. Spalding was one Of the few
men who won nation wide fame on
the diamond in the earlier period, was
absolutely unspoiled by it and then fol-
lowed it up With even greater fame in
the business world. Spalding jumped
into the limelight as seventeen-year-
old boy with the Rockford Qll0 club
way back in 1867. Talk about the en-
durance of the modern twirling giants!
Just consider what this original iron
man did in the early seventies. Dur
ing that period he was a member OF
the Boston Nationals, and he won the
league championship for his team four
years in succession. He was BostOn's
only pitcher, and he twirled every
game the team played, though In
those days games were scheduled only
every other day and the season was
shorter than it is now.
Old timers love to dwell on the PROV
ess of Charles Radbourne, who shone
with quite as much brilliance as Spald-
ing until consumption cut short his ca
reer about twenty-five years ago. Rad
bourne was member of the Provi-
dence team, and when Charles Swee-
ney deserted that club in midseason
only Radbourne was left for slab work
But that didn't bother Radbourne, for
he not only jumped right in and did
all the pitching, but made a new
worlds record by winning eighteen
straight games and the championship
for Providence. This gameness. how
ever. cost Radbourne his life, for his
health broke under the strain, which
was generally credited with having
caused his consumption.
From day laborer to the worlds pre-
mier pitcher and then back again, is. in
brief, the history Of Amos Rusie. who
from 1889 to 1894 thrilled the baseball
world. Rusie had narrow escape
from being cast into the utter darkness
of oblivion before he could get started.
The first day he entered the big league
he was weighed by Bancroft, the man
ager of the Cleveland team, and found
wanting. After watching him pitch
one game Bancroft let him go. But
John T. Brush, owner of the Cincinnati
club. had faith in this youngster, gave
him his chance, and suddenly the re-
cruit b,ossomed forth into the greatest
pitcher of his day. But prosperity and
the applause of the unthinking crowd
were too much for Rusie.
Then there were Tim Keefe and John
Clarkson, about whose respective mer-
IFS the fans are still divided. In 1883
Keefe won nineteen straight games for
New York, while in 1899 Clarkson
pitched Seventy two games for Boston.
winning forty-six Of them. These two
men, whose exploits We're heralded
from one end of the country to the
other were radically different in tenn
perament. Clarkson utterly ruined his
health by not taking proper care OF
himself and died in an insane asylum
Rut Tim Keefe retired with money IN
the bank.
Probably more printers ink was
used TO tell of the exploits Of the &c
centric RUDE Waddell than any Other
baseball player that ever lived. RUDE
was always good for story, no matter
what he did. On the diamond this
man was forever breaking records, hrs'
in i,,mping from one team to another
and then by making new strikeout rec
ords. Probably his greatest feat was
| when he called in all the outfielders
and then retired the side in order. Blu
consumption finished his broken dowl
constitution.
CIV Young belongs to diheren
school of pitchers. He was shining
example of baseball longevity founded
| upon clean living. This marvellous
man. who broke into major League
baseball in 1890, pitched every season
for twenty-five years, record still un
| eoualed.- Ledger.