Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-04-29
By JAMES J. CoRnETT.

The baseball career of Connie Mack
q had It's beginning in the far-gonc days
4 OF 1878 in tho little town OF East
Broolfeld Mass, where Connie was
3 that MACK. whose real name is Cor
\ neIius McGnlicuddy, learned to play
the game which he gloriiied in his
( latenSears. ;,
my home was in ,. one Of the SIN small n
suburbs Of Eas, ,gbdm n rS'I hS5
few boys OF nay age, and when we
tried<to form a ball club in the late
consisted frequently of only seven
Z boys. and 10 make up our team we
had TO import some Of the boys from
From team composed of young.
sters, crude in baseball, that club Of
ours developed rapidly i'll baseball
ability, and through the seasons of
1881 and 1882 we played and defeated
some OF the best amateur teams IN
our section.
Wins Amateur Championship.
In lSS3 an amateur league was
sftormcd which embraced some Of the
best clubs in Central Massachusetts.
4 aft ernoonS. We gained membership in
the circuit. And when the season was
lover ithe championship was ours. Since
.{those days | have been connected with
b Il number OF pcnnant winners and some
worlds champions. but the JOY that
was mine was when h %" our IN 'G ,hn, i nnn-
/, teur circuit cclipses ali that has come
TO me, since then.
so great became the confidence of
the townsfoik in the ability OF our
little team that delegation went to
Z Worcester and arranged Tor an eNhi-'
bition, game. to BIO played between our
club -nnd the Worcester aggregation
which just then MAS member of the
National League: That Was In the lat;
upon "a certain guarantee. We were
s not playing in any enclosed neid and
eoqldn' shars s, ,ad ms tor 1as
was promised it's financial demands.
Plays Old Worcester Club.
"a big crowd turned out for the
!. game, which was perhaps the Gala
whole town and thousands of persons
from the surrounding sections turned
out TO see tho clash between the home
town boys and the famous major LEAF que
stars. The hat WAS passed through
1 the crowd, and the generous donations
abled US TO pay Worcester it's guaran-
tee, but left IA little surplus Tor our
club for US. in the purchase of balls,
bats and equipment.
$50 successful was this venture that
We decided upon an even moro daring
= one. -rnd that was TO bring the Chi
cage Colts TO East Brookhcld and at
3 tempt TO dole out Il beating TO the club
which at. at That t, Time was the most IA;
aggregation in the game.
BrookiicIn Funs Enthusiastic.
80 when the Colts played in Provi-
4 dence.a delegation went there and re-
quested that the team stop over in East
accepted. but he asked for a ruaran-
Y Zee considerably larger than that
4 which had been given TO Worcester.
4 But it didn't stop the East Brookheld
folks. and they consented TO the price.
They agreed among themselves TO
make up out of their own pockets
the difference between the collection
fran, b,. Il
money that had 10 be paid TO the Chi
S cage team
The crowd that saw the game be-
tween our little amateur club and the
Chicago Colts was larger.,by far than
which had witnessed the game AGAINST
Worcester And East BroolIicld was
baseball crazy that day. 1t rooted it
self hoarse for the home town boys.
We gave the best that was in us and
tor tive innings held the Colts even.
sut In the next they forged to the
PORTABLE margin. Just the same, the
iownsfoll5 were wildly happy over our
showing , and that nigh, was a gala
one Tor East BrooEhcid.
Accepts 500 u Month job
My chance TO become 4 profess
sional ban player was Il direct out
growth of those games which We
played against Worcester and Chicago.
was just Il tail! rawbcned Kid at the
time. and miles removed from :, fin
lshed catcher. But some OF those big
= league fellows saw in me the markings
ot major league backstop. y few Of
y them were kind enough during the
4 course OF The game 10 deal out words
OF praise. And afterward they helped
me by toutlng me 10 managers OF
some of the minor league clubs. Their
= efforts bore fruit in 1854
X An offer came 10 me from the Mer-
. iden, Conn team. y salary OF $50 a
i like sl,o0O,0O0 would today. | accent
! cd with almost frantic eugerncss be-
cause the chance TO become a profes-
siohai BAN player and 10 get $40 a
month all at The same time seemed 10
me Ike the most wonderful thing
that ever should happen. '--Copyrigh /
is45' by King Features Syndicate, Inc
PskLrn TRINA o-..-