The Alaska citizen., 1916-02-07
GREAT PITCHERS
OF THE PAS

pitcher the game of baseball ever has known
 As long as baseball is played, so long will the patrons of grandstand, pavilion and bleacher foregather. somewhere. and renew this half century old argument. Wonderful pitchers there are today-AleXander, Foster Mathewson, Johnson, Shore, Ruth Wood, MamauX, Rudolph, Ty- Ter and a brigade of others-and won derful pitchers there were a few years ago-Joss. Walsh, Brown Al trock. Donovan, Mullin, Powell, Young. O'Toole, Moore, McGinnity, Chesbro and a score or two more.
 On a winter trip around the Amer an and National league circuits, l asked over 15O veterans the old. old question:
 Who is. or who was, the greatest pitcher the game of baseball ever has known?'
 The answers from these patriarchs of the game were vastly different from the answers that would have come from the same number of fans who have no reColleCtions of Clarkson, of Radbourne, of Calvin. of Ferguson. of Ward, of Keefe, of Ramsey. of Kilroy, of Fouts. of Ca ruthers, of WelCh. of Meekin of Gold smith of CorCOran, of Mccormick, of Sweeney, of Burlington and many other great twirlers. who were help ing to make baseball history before a majority of the fans of today were born.
 It Us, then. exclude the pitchers in the immediate perspective from consideration here-sinCe to compare them is as much one mans privilege as another's-and give attention to the men who by the old-time fans are regarded as The greatest pitch CTS that ever lived"
 Votes For CIarkson.
 It is interesting to know that a big majority of the more than l3O old-time fans to whom the question was put unhesitatingly replied, John Clarkson." He was the Mathewson of his day" is the. esti- mate put upon him by more than dozen men who love the great pitch CT of the Giants as only those who appreciate loyalty. intelligence and skill in ball player know how to love and esteem such a shining exponent of the game as is "Christy The second choice of practically all these fans was Charley Radbourne, and it may be added he did not lack for first choices, either. For sheer endurance-the ability to pitch day after day with no relief of any kind-the mighty Rad" had never an equal Once when he was with Providence, Sweeney, the other pitch CT on the team, quit just past mid season.
 Don't get anybody else" said Radbourne, T can stand it alone until October" And it is on record that he did. One season, after Providence had won the pennant in the old National league, a worlds champi0nship series was arranged with the famous Nets" champions in the old Association. Radbourne pitched all three of the games for his team-three were enough win in those days. The "Mats" did not get a run. Radbourne had pitched ten games in as many days and won nine of them-when he shut out the opposing club in i'm pressive style one afternoon in the fall of 1884 That night fellow went up to him and said:
 Gee, old Hoss, ain't you never going to tire out?"
 Tire out?" sneered Radbourne. Tire out tossing around little five-ounce ball for two hours day? Man, I used to be a butcher. From four in the morning until eight at night I knocked down steers with a 25-pound sledge. Tired of playing two hours a day for ten times more than 1 used to get for sixteen hours work? On your way, man. You make me i'll"
 Heroes of Old Days.
 And Rad pitched the next day and the next and many more after that He had a remarkable rival in Jim" Mccormick, man of similar build, but who pitched in a different style; and still another in John Clarkson, the most graceful pitcher who ever faced a batter. Rad" depended almost altogether on his great speed. He did not have to put something on the ball. v