The Washington times., 1920-01-28
WHEN CONNIE WAS WITH
WASHINGTON BALL CLUB
BY FREDERICK g. LIEB.

W 10 pooOboii 6esh "eS ss@~
shoe trades loss. When Cornelius
McGillicuddy decided on baseball
career New England lost one Of its
best young shoemakers. There was
quite bit OF shaking OF the heads
In East Brookfield. Mass, when Con-
ME gave up the last to make his live
lihood with his catcher's mitt. Some
of Mrs. McGillicuddy's neighbors
asked her whether she approved OF
Comics doings.
Mrs. McGillicuddy approved. and
approved in no uncertain way. What
ever Connie did he always did for the
best. Comics father died while he
was at high school and as he was
the Oldest, son. IL was up to him to
get out and dig. Back in the seven
ties the shoe business didn't pay it's
hands the money that II now passes
out to its operators. That was before
tie era OF $50 shoes. Even million
aire would have called for the cops
had anybody tried to sell him $50
pair of shoes at the time that Connie
was learning to be a shoemaker.
So Connie decided to make his for
tune in baseball. That he has been
successful no one can deny. He Is
the only manager in baseball who has
piloted three worlds championship
teams, and with McGraw of the Giants
holds the Joint record of having cap
tured six major league championships.
But perhaps as Mack looks back. he
may sometimes regret that he didn't
stick to shoes. for despite exagger-
ated stories. there is more money in
ships shoes. and sealing wax than in
major league ball clubs.
However this story deals with
Mack. the ball player and manager,
not Mack. the shomemaker. Connie
is the oldest manager in the business.
He was civil war baby. and Christ
mas present besides. He was born IN
East Brookfeld on December 23, 1852.
His father. Mike McGillicuddy, a nat
uralized Irishman. worked in the
Brookfield shoe factories.
He Loved Baseball.
Mack. too, learned the shoe busi-
ness, but he loved baseball and made
quite a reputation around the town
lots as a catcher. Mack was even
thinner than he is today. and his pop
ular nickname was Stats"
At the age OF twenty-one. he got
Conn, club, and then made his big
decision. He accepted It. From that
time on baseball was the ambition of
his life. He returned to tho shoe
factory after the season was over.
but in 1895 he advanced TO the Hart
ford team. where he received a better
salary and soon developed into quite
a card.
There was a tall. skinny pitcher on
tho Hartford club by the name of
Gilmore, and he was hooked up with
Connie. The pair were known as the
Shadow Battery" and became quite
a drawing card.
And then It came to pass that the
Shadow Battery" was graduated to
the National League. Washington
was admitted to the National League
in 1886, and sas so often has hap
pened to Washington teams, the SEN
ators were trailing the procession.
bought "shadow battery"
In an effort to bolster up the tail
end Senators and give them some
thing of an attraction, the Washing
ton club purchased Hartford's
SHADOW Battery" on September Is,
1886.
1t wasn't long before the ncwcom-
crs were put TO worR. Thcy reported
to their team in New York and got
all their initiation on the afternoon
they reported-Septcmber 1G-on the
old New York Polo Grounds, when 1t
was located on 10th street.
The condensed Associated Press
dispatch sent out OF Gotham on the
night of September 10, 1856, shows
that the shadow Battery" handled
itself in most approved style and
held the hard-hitting Giants to
1-to-1 eight-inning tie. We read the
following of Mack's first big league
game, :"
Neither club could do any effec-
tive batting in the game here today.
keefe and the Washington teams
new man, Gilmore, proving very eff
fective. But one run had been scored
on each side when darkness brought
tho game to an end In the eighth in
ming.
New York scored It's run In the
first inning on Connors' base on balls
and Gillespic's double, while the visi-
tors scored theirs in the last inning
on triple by Hines and CARROTS