The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-08-08
old Time PITCHERS
Some of the Former Stars Who
Won Fame on the Diamond.
THEIR FEATS OF ENDURANCE.

Spaldins All Alone TwirIed the Old
Boston Nationals to Victory Four
Years In Succession - Radbourne's
Great Reoord-Some Sad Finishes.
What becomes Of all the great pitch
ers who thrill the baseball populace
for 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 he 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
pertty as a successful business man.
A. G. Spalding was one of the few
men who won nation wide fame on
the diamond I'm the earlier period, was
absolutely unspoiled by 1t and then fol
lowed 1t up with even greater fame in
the business world Spalding jumped
into the limelight as a seventeen-year-
old boy with the Rockford Qll.) club
way back In 1867. Talk about the en-
durance of the modern twirling giantsl
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 laboreF 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 60 But
John z. Brush, owner of the Cincinnati
club, had faith in this youngster, gave
him his chance, and suddenly the re-
cruit blossomed 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
Ciarkson, about whose respective mer.
its 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 were heralded
from one end Of the country to the
other, were radically different In tenn
permanent Clarkson utterly ruined his
health by not taking proper care of
himself and died in an insane asylum.
But Tim Keefe retired with money in
the bank.
Probably more printers ink was
used to tell of the exploits of the &C.
centric Rube Waddell than any other
baseball player that ever lived Rube
was always good for story, no matter
what he did. On the diamond this
man was forever breaking records. first
In jumping from one team to another
and then by making new strikeout rec
ords. Probably his greatest feat was
when he called in all the outfelders
and then retired the side in order. But
consumption finished his broken down
constitution.
Cy Young belongs to a different
school of pitchers. He was a shining
example of baseball longevity founded
upon clean living. This marvellous
NINA, who broke into major league
baseball in 1890, pitched every season
for twenty-five years, a record still I'M
equaled.-Philadelphia Ledger.