New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-13
Alex the Great
Promises ToBe
Great as Ever
After a Poor Start the Star
Pitcher of Phillies Gets
Going Again
Bv W. !. MAC BETH


stay OF the Philadelphia National
Leseue baseball teams pitching staff,
enjoys to-day the universal homage and
esteem that was Chrsty Maihewson's
due one decade AGO. before the present
champion Of pitchers burst upon the
big time stage.
Alexander will 80 down in history
as one OF the greatest pitchers OF all
time. lie has assured his right 70 a
place I'm the Hall Of Baseball Fame re
gardless Of what the future holds IN
store for him. Grover last year set a
worlds record. and fame is usually ad-
Judged by that broad standard. No less
than sixteen times. through the duit Of
single campaign. he turned opposing
clubs back without run.
No Basis Of Comparison
There is no basis Of comparison be
tween the stars of different eras.
Mathcwson had begun TO slip when Al
cNander first challenged for the iaureis
Of Big SIX History alone must decide
the debate as to which OF the two viii
be considered the greater periormeT.
Alexander has long way yet 20 20 be-
fore nc can hope 10 achieve as many
victories as Christy Nsthewson turned
in for the New York Giants. Alexander
broke i'm much later in life than did
the greatest individual playing IDOL
that the Polo Grounds has known.
For genuine effectiveness in the
matter purely OF victories Won the su-
perman Cy Young. Of Boston and Clcve-
land fame. stands IN class by himself
Cy was the type of herculean manhood
that dehcd athletic decay. To the pitch
ing art he stood in the profession as
7 I
10 this season stood in the regular INES
Of diamond duty. In other words, Cy
Young. Hans Wagner and Napoleon La
iofc wore well-years beyond the aver
age athletic life.
Cv Younc's record perhaps will stand
for all time. He turned IN more VIC,
tories than the combined winnings ana
losses of the mighty Mathewson. Good
old Christv had a chance 70 beat MN,
people thought. But when he reached
the age when Young was in his zenith,
Msthewson was stricken with a per
picking malady that robbed him OF ms
cunning. For that reason alone to-day
no is manager Of the Reds. The all
ment. variously diagnosed as neurlts'
rheumatism and half dozen other MS
struck Big Six just shout The time that
he should have been qualified. in the
hard school of experience, to 20 down
10 such a glorious finish as those utans
Of the pastimc -Cy Young, Hans Nag-
ner and Napoleon LaJoie'
Physique Up TO Standard
The physical qualifications all OF
them Nathewson had And SO has
Grover Cleveland Alexander Mathew
son-held in the esteem OF New YORK
fandom the greatest pitcher of all time
had every physical qualification Of
~ Young. and doubtless q striking
shade in mental poise and power NO
cleaner liver ever has graced the pas
time than this same Mathcwson. Alex
ander is OF the same type. Like Matty'
the present champion OF pitchers soon
learned the folly Of trying 10 whizz
every pitch past the batter. lie uses
all he has on the ball only IN extreme
cases.
presuming. therefore. that Alexander
c.cspes accident or the fell Gluten OF
disease such as halted Mathewson &C
tive career. he may be able to drive
along to as many victories as Big ok
showed. Providing he lasts as long as
the frail though perennial Plank, OF the
St Louis Browns, now entering ms iol-
tv-fourth year. Grover Cleveland Alex
andcr might lift the record OF the
mighty 6 Young himself
Big Alec has pitched i've years IN tne
National League. in which time he set
mn record of effectiveness that COM
parcg favorably with the deeds OF the
mighty Iron men Radbourne, Rusle,
Clarkson. Chesbro and Walsh. But
Alec came IN late. He has passed the
thirtieth milestone of his life. BY all
the laws Of averagc-as applied to attn
lctic lfc-the best years lie buried In
the past.
A tie of sympathy exists between
Mathewson and Alexander, whose mu-
tual admiration cannot be expressed IN
words. Each owes his athletic life TO
the same source. no less source
than Horace FoCcl. the trick magnate
OF the National League, who was read
right ont Of the game for loose talk
several years ago.
Tried 10 Ruin Matty
In the dark ages, before McGraw
came from Baltimore 20 the Polo
Grounds. lloraec Fogel was manager OF
the Giants. He tried TO ruin Mathew
son by making him over into a first
haseman If Horace hadn't thought
Matty q good first baseman he probably
would have thrown him back into the
sticks In that case McGraw never
would have seen the pitching possibili-
lies Of the grand Old Master.
Horace also discovered Alexander
OF al least he claims the credit. The
way he tells the story he went TO SYRIA
cuse in 1910 20 look for an Outtlelder
He saw Alexander pitch and baited the
trap
Billy Murray, then manager of the
Phillies. tells a different story. Hor-
aces version gets the preference. He
was club president, Billy Murray mere
manager There's another interesting
story In connection with II all that may
be barred some day. Scout Irwin, OF
the Yankees. who went up in quest of
pitching talent, couldn't see Alexander
with a spy glass.
To hear the scouts talk everybody
was hep to Alexander while he was
with Syracuse m 1910. Yet Philadelphia
got the big fellow BY draft He made
good with the Quakers from the very
start The first three years Alexander
lad rather mediocre team hebind
him. His first year ne won 2s and
lost only 10 games. In 1912, with a
second division outfit he had his worst
season. winning 10 and losing H. In
1918 Alex came back with % victories
against only defeats He won q
and lost ID in 1914, and the following
year carried the Quakers 10 pennant
with 81 triumphs against only ten re-
verses
Last Season His Best
But last season was Alexander's very
best year He would have carried Slow
Town through 20 second consecutive
flag had not the rest Of the staff col
lapscd under the drive In 1915 Alexan-