The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-06
:IIMANY PLAYERS USE
ASSUMED NAMES
Collegians Frequently Break
Into Majors With Strange
Monakers.
-
ED COLLINSwAS SULLIVAN
Ruelbach and Daniels Used
Many Aliases Before Land
ing in Fast Company.
ED CoLLINswAs SULLIVAN
By rRRDERIcK q. LIEB.

sVa VIII near an tnQuiSftive fan ASK that
question In regard to the athletes who
appear on the big league trail. Fans
occasionally hear of a ball player play.
ing under an assumed name ana get
the Idea that the great majority OF dia-
mond artists, like boxers ana chorus
firls. used monakers others than those
bestowed upon them W their parents.
However, the great majority of ball
players do not resort to aliases and
start and hnish their careers under their
own names. The college players make
the freest tso OF assumed names when
they break into profe ssiohal baseball
Many collegians who afterward starred
IN the big leagdes used aliases while
playing with semi-pro, minor and even
major league teams. When Eddie Col.
llns's name first appeared in American
League box scores II was as Eddie Sulli.
van. while Larry Kopf. now with the
Cincinnati Reds, played q season with
the Cleveland Americans as. Brady.
Collins, the greatest bail player ever
produced at Columbia, where he starred
at the shortstop position. was elected
captain Of the team at the end OF the
1905 season. Mack signed Eddie to an
Athletic contract In his sophomore year
though Collins did not inteno TO report
to the Philadelphia club until the end
Of his college career However, in 1906
Mack dlsrnantled the team with which
he had won the pennant In 1906 and
tried out lot OF new blood. He wrote
to Collins telling him he would be
greatly pleased II he reported for try
oue and suggested that Eddie bring the
name OF Sullivan with him.
twas irish Anyway.
Mach inserted Sullivan in his shortstop
position, but It seems that even In thosi
days few people would 10 and see the
Athletics play. Anyway. some eagle eyed
person connected with the Columbia
faculty discovered that the youngster
Sullivan was no other than the great
siortstop of the Morningside team. I'd
Collins. They had the goods on Eddie
and when the faculty board took up his
case he admitted he was sullivan. He
tAen was barred from playing with Co.
iufnbia in his last year and the cap
taincy was transferred to another player
1t always has been one OF Eddies re.
grets that he did not hold of another
year In reporting to Mack. as every col.
lege player likes to captain his OUTFIT
Thereafter Eddie ceased being Sulli.
van and has been Collins ever since
Korf was student at Fordham and
was tried out by Cleveland before his
graduation. Therefore the Brady |
When he graduated and was taken up
by the Athletics he changed back from
the Celtic Brady 20 the more Teutonic
Kopf
Ed Rueibach had half a dozen names
when he was n college player. Ruelbach
was one OF the crack pitchers of the
middle West collegiate belt when he
was a member Of the Notte Dame team.
a big, strapping fellow. he had trea
mendous speed and soon big league
clubs began to look him up. But even
IN those days Ruelbach looked out for
little Eddie. and fans who remember
Big Ed in his fraternity days know that
he always took care Of the bali player.
Ed HAD Many Aliases.
George Hun. who then was scouting
for the Cubs. heard of Ruelbach. but
by the time Hun went TO Notre Dame
Ruelbach already had left the college
for the summer. To make the story
complete, prior to going to Notre Dame
Huff had journeyed to Seaalia, Mo-.
where he had been tipped on that n
young phenom named Lawson was
pitching. Lawson was winning all his
games and striking them out in droves.
On arriving at Sedalia HUI found the
town In gloom. for after being paid of
unknown. Later in the summer HUNS
duties called him into the Green Noun
tain League. where another sensation.
Sheldon, was standing the batsmen on
their heads. Arriving at Montpelier
Hun discovered that Sheldon was Law
son and that Lawson was Ruelbach. He
took the triple combination back to CHI.
cago with him and Ruelbach starred
with the Cubs Immediately after join
ing the Chance encourage
Bert Daniels. formerly OF the Yan-
KEGS. also had several other names, one
for each minor league in which he ap-
peared. Like Ruelbach he was n product
Of Notre Dame. He had a new name
for every league. Bert was Barrett In
the Tri-State League, Ayres in the Con-
necticut League. and finally bobbed up
with his own name. Daniels. In the
American League.
Yankee fans often hsve asked how
Birdie Cree. who starred In the New
York outfield at the same time that
Daniels was with the team. acquired the
nickname Birdie. Cree's name was viii.
lam Frank. but II anybody had called
him Bill Cree no one would have recog-
nized that famous Birdie was the bird
under discussion.
Picks His own Name.
Cree picked the Birdie out himself or
rather he called II Burdie. Cree was
crack all around athlete at Penn State
where he starred on the baseball and
basketball teams. but like many other
college fellows preferred making his
money playing summer ball rather
than working as waiter or something
akin to that. He therefore put in his
summers playing semi-pro bali as Frank
Burdie. He also played one year with
the Williamsport Tri-State team as Bur.
die. When he graduated from college
he used his own name, Cree, but his
assumed name was fastened on him as
nickname and he has been Birdie Cree
ever since.
1t also may be amusing for Yankee
fans to know that Miller Higgins, the
new pilot OF the team, launched into
professional baseball under the name OF
Proctor. At the time the midget man
sger was taking law course at Clncih-
natl University, and he wasn't sure
whether he would stick to his law books
or baseball. He wanted to ind out
just how good he was.
Proctor played some rafting baseball
for Fleischmanns Catskill Mountain
team. and when he got a regular offer
from st. Paul he thought he was well
established enough to appear In boz
scores as Huggins.
Then Dan Costello, a local lad and a
product Of Mount st. Mary's College, was
Kelly In the New York and New Jersey
League, but ne took on his own name
OF Costello after he got tryout with
the Yankees and later when he played
the outfield for PittaburR