The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-29
WAGNER IS LAST
 OF FAMOUS PIRATE
 BASEBALL MACHINE
Started in Game in 1900. Clarke Latest to Quit
 Dreyfuss' Club

Philadelphia, January 2S-When Bar ney Dreyfuss transferred the National league club to Pittsburg in 1900 he took with him 14 players, of whom II were retained during that season. These were Fred Clarke, Honus Wag- ner, Claude Ritchey, Deacon Philippe. Flaherty, Charley Thinner Walter Woods, Tom Massitt and Cliff Latlmer. These eX-Colonels formed the nucleus of one of the greatest ball clubs in history.
 In their first year in the Smoky City the Kentuckians finished second and for three straight years after that they, with the assistance of some new blood, copped the National league bunting.
 Prior to the Kentucky invasion of Pittsburg the Pirates had been very humble crew. Under Connie Mack in 1895 they finished seventh and sixth the following year. They finished eighth with Pat Donovan as pilot in 1897, and in the same place with Wat kins in charge in 1898. The Corsairs were seventh in 1899, when Watkins quit the job and Pat Donovan again assumed the helm
 The coming of Fred Clarke as man. ager, with his doughty crew of Col onels, gave the club new lease of life. Honus Wagner Was, of course, the life of the pa<ty, but he had some great associates, and far from being the least oi them was Claude Ritchey
 Ritchey was born at Embleton, Pa, October ,, 1873, and broke into the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 1897. The following year he joined the Louisville Colonels and when Dreyfuss transferred his activities to the Smoky City in 1900 Ritchey followed the pro- ceSsion
 Johnny Evers, Eddie Collins and oth- CT stars of the keystone bag in this day of grace had nothing on Claude when he was in his prime. For six straight years, from 1902 to 1907 inclusive, he led the second basemen of the National league in fielding, and as a swatter he was seldom very far below the 300 mark, although he passed that figure only once, in 1899, his last year with the Colonels, when he batted .309
 And talk of your million-dollar in- fields! Maybe there have been better infelds than "Btt' Bransfie1d at first Ritchey at second, Tommy Leach at third and Honus Wagner at short, but the veterans would just like to see it. During the period from 1901 to 1905
 
 exceptions, the Pirate club.
 In both infield and outfield the Cor sairs eXcelled all the other clubs in the circuit, but Mathewson and Bresnahan of the Giants, held the battery honors.
 Ritchey remained with the Pirates until the close of the 1906 season when he went to the Boston Nationals, where for another year he continued to lead the National league second sack After that he began to slip and went back to Louisville.
 Of the great nfield of the pennant winning Pirates 'of the early Clarke re- gime, only Wagner remains in the har ness, Kilt" Bransfield disappeared from the Pirate lineup after the 1904 season. Claude Ritchey left after the conclusion of the 1906 race.
 Tommy Leach figured in the Pirate infield until the end of 1908 Now that Clarke has resigned from the Pirate management. Wagner is the only one of the old Kernels" left on the Buccaneer craft.
 Tommy Leach was the last to desert the craft. with the exception of Clarke and Wagner. After his days as an in- fielder were over Tommy went into the outer garden and stuck by the old ship until the end of 1912.