New Britain herald., 1917-07-12

 
WALLACE RETURNS
 TO BASEBALL FIELD
Rickey Signs Veteran to Act As
 Cards Utility Inhelder

St. Louis, Mo-, July 12.-Will some one kindly page Amos Rusie and Cy Young I. Signing the old birds in baseball has become the latest fad. The Pirates started the fad by coax ing 43-year-old Hans Wagner out of retirement, and the old boy is hit ting around 1925. Old Nap Lajoie IS tearing the International League apart and is hitting close to 300. Pittsburgh wanted him for the Pl- rates, but Toronto is so we'll pleased with Larry as manager that the Leafs owner declined to let Harry go Then Ed Walsh and Joe Birm- ingham are working out on the Polo Grounds with the Giants. The old spit-ball monarch of the White Sox hopes to do @ come back with McGraW's team.
 Branch Hickey, the new Cardinal president, trying to show that tnc Cards are an up to date team an nounced to the world yesterday that he had engaged old Rhoddy Wallace as utility infielder for the St. Louis Nationals. Wallace, therefore, re- turns to the National League after an absence of fifteen years. He jumped the Cardinals in 1902 to throw his lot with the Browns. then making their start in -t Louis.
 Wallace Daddy of Elm All.
 Tn point of big league service Wal lace is the daddy of them all; he came into the National League in 1895, one year before Lajoie broke in. two years before the name Wagner first appeared in a National League Sxyo hnf 1afh sons big league debut and eleven years before Coombs pitched ilis first game for Connie Mack.
 Wallace, however, is few months younger than Hans Wagner. Honus was 43 years old last February and Rhoddy will not be 43 until next November. Lajoie is the youngest of the trio, and will not be AZ un.'l next September. Eddie Plank of the St. Louis Browns is AZ.
 Rhoderisk started his baseball ca reer in 1894 with the Clarion, Pa.. team as pitcher, and in 1895 he joined Pat Tebeau's Cleveland Ma tional League team. Wallace pitched for Cleveland two seasons until an accident to Chippy McGarr, the old Cleveland third baseman. gave Rhoddy a chance to show his ability as an infelder. Tebeau at first only played Wallace at third because he had no one else, but overnight the young pitcher became a star in- fielder.
 Shifted to Cards in 1900.
 Wallace, with many of the other Cleveland stars, was shifted to the St. Louis Nationals in 1900, where Rhoddy was moved over to shortstop and became the leading shortstop of the day. During the American league war he jumped to the Browns, and his salary and those of Willie Keeler and Nap Lajoie were reported to be the biggest of that era. Wallace was supposed to have received a five-year contract, calling for $1O,OO0, for jumping to the Browns.
 In 1911 Wallace was promoted to manager of the Browns and held the post until midseason of 1912, when he turned his thankless job over to George Stovall. In 1915 Wallace tried his luck as umpire in the American league, but didn't find it congenial and last season he was back with the Browns as utility infielder Until a few days ago Wallace was playing manager of the Wichita Western league team.
 Perhaps if the Yankees are unable to get a hitting outfelder they might draft Dan Brothers from the Polo Grounds emergency squad.