The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-23

ton in his ears. There were many oc- casions, l am told, when Killen took
 the mound against such teams as the
 Orioles, Browns Spiders and Colonels with his ears plugged.
 TALKS ABOUT MULLANE
 The ordeal from coachers was tougher
 in those days than it is now, Tony Null
 lane was before my time and they tell
 me he was among one of the gamest and most courageous men that ever walked ball field. Yet 1 have heard that Jesse Burkett made him lay down
 the ball one day in Cincinnati and walk off the field. The conglomeration of chatter and silly stuff literally got Null
 lanes goat" as the saying goes.
 No nervier stoic ever stepped into the
 box than Charles C'Deacon') Philippe and only once did anything get his
 goat That happened to be the little
 old song of 'Tessie." and to this day the
 Royal Rooters of Boston have that piece played at worlds series games in com memoration of it's goat-getting powers back in 1863
 Phil, pitching wonderful ball., heard 'Tessie' in Pittsburg and Boston until he grew weary of her. It haunted him by night and day during the series. Despite PhiPs wonderful work, we lost the series after winning three of the first four games Philippe has shuddered ever since at hearing "Tessie and one day two years ago he ordered a man out of his office because he insisted on whist Hing 'Tessie" to remind him of the Red SoX Waterloo of 1903. At the great fare well banquet given Fred Clarke in Pitts
 burg last fall, the band did not play Tessie, as had been the custom at runc- tions givM by the Pittsburg Stove league. The reason was that Deacon Philippe
 was there happy to greet his old retir- ing chief, and he was so happy that even
 the band did not want to make him un- happy.
 Music never "got the goat" of Babe
 Adams. Babe is quiet big fellow, rather phlegmatic and not very enthusi- aStlc over anything. But a brass band stirs his blood and his step and quickens his brain and instincts into a peppery state. He has been beaten only once with a brass band in the park and that was opening day in St. Louis in 1914. Change of pace artists have the best
 assets in pitching. Men like Clark Grif- fifth and Nap Fucker could sent then up as big as Rockyfords or as small as peas. Kid' Nichols could put the same artistic mixtures on the ball. Old Bob 1 Ewing was a fine example of the pitching tactican in the box, and I could rur back over memory and add the names o 1 a dozen of men, long forgotten wht served long and efficiently through head | work.
 1 nave taken my readers over a Ions l sketch of National league pitching his tory, and, of course that is my limit | The American league has been screened
 from me, though the newspapers hay,
 afforded me the knowledge that grea
 ones come and go in the American. Blu
 can't make any comparisons. I had tn pleasure of shaking Walter Johnson. | hand only once and he looked like ; splendid fellow, but have never seen hin pitch. like to read about Eddie Plank 1 We have birthdays close together, and
 | want to see that grand old arm preserve, 1 for many years because I am going t, gIve him a chase in length of service
 stunning them all up in the American
 old ones and new ones, I suppose it is Z 1 oo-50 proposition of equality between tn, | pitchers of the two organization The great melting pot of the minors and tht 1 bush offers and balances it's yield Witl l eminent fairness.
 ASKED TO NAME BEST PLAYERS l know ball player who once was | asked to name the 20 greatest stars in the game Tn 20 years. He kicked himself after he had made selections because ht had overlooked Willie Keeler
 Pshaw!' exclaimed this veteran "Pye certalniy pulled bone Keeler ought " 1ieiNO ooCh diiOuS the IlfSL i've, My conscience troubles me a little ,r the same way in my selection of the al, pest pitchers I ever faced. There is 2 trio of dandies that should hold higI place among the greatest in the mind o any patsman who ever faced them. reier to Amos Rusie, Jouett Meekin. au( Miner Brown. l saw more of Browr than either of the other two. and ir ! my oplnion Brown deserves place in the pitchers hall of fame not oIo,o e. ,:. great pitching, but for the fact that faith
 ful three-fingered wonder crowded r years or phenomenal work into seven. O curve pail opponents Leon Ames and h, ranked with the greatest pitchers of m, time. Meekin was an adept at the pitchins game. He was with New York and late1 Wlth us. He may have gone into obscur, retirement put he was a great pitcher
 neverineiess. or Rusie I saw but little Ills closing days with Cincinnati did no disclose much of his former ability. IF, was peculiarly constructed man for Z pitcher and the shortness of his pitchine arm seemed to belle the fact that h, possessed greater speed than any pitche, Of his day. He could scarcely put hi, hand in his pants pocket without leanine over to one side. Long arms are sup 1 posed to be the essential of speed hitch CTS, put Rusle was the living parade, 10 the rule. He has passed the zenith n ms career when I came in and T met hin when he was passing out. And in m, 1 parting look backward into memory a l great old-time pitchers, let me add on, l good word for two more Cincinnatians- ! Iheooore Breitenstein and Noodles 1 Hahn.
 i CThe third article in this series by Wae her Will appear next Sunday)
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