The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-01-01
Bill Doak, who spends his winters

Dill DOak, VINO SPENDS MS winters
at his home in Pittsburg and summers
pitching for the st. Louis Cardinals,
has sent his signed 1920 contract to
President-Manage Branch Hickey.
Next season will be the veteran spit
baller's eighth consecutive year as a
member of the Mound City aggrega-
ton, and since he signed his first
contract, with the club back in mid
season 1913, he has survived manv
shakeup in the club personnel. The
club changed owners and managers
since he first wore their colors, and
| he has been affiliated wit hit longer
than any other player. Although Doak
completed his seventh season as q
| Cardinal this year the team is not the
only one in the big show with which
! he has been connected. In 1912 he en-
joyed very brief career as member
of the Cincinnati Reds. That season
the spitball hurler started out as a
member of the Akron club of the Inter-
State league and in July he obtained a
trial with the Porkville outfit Doak
lacked experience and week after
his advent into the majors he was
sent back to the Akron team. He
took part in three games as member
of the Reds.
Doak's next opportunity came the
following year when the Interstate
league disbanded in midseason and in
the shuttle that followed he was
shifted to st. Louis. He was deter
mined to make good, but at the start
he encountered great difficulty in
winning. His record at the end of the
! 1918 season showed two victories and
eight defeats. The following season
he showed wonderful improvement
and it was not long before he was
! taking a regular turn on the mound
and he has been one Of the clubs
first string hurlers ever since.
The veteran has been well satisfied
with the treatment he received from
the officials of the Mound City team
and declares that he will try to make
next season the best of his career.
If the spitball is barred next season
Doak is one of the moist ball hurlers
who will not be affected He says
! that while the spitball is big asset
| to him he does not depend entirely
upon it for his effectiveness.
Since he joined the Cardinals Doak
has succeeded in winning about half
| his games each season, a record that
| Is better than the one made by his
club. Last season he pitched in thirty
! one game and hurled thirteen com
/ plete victories and fourteen setbacks
were charged against him. He won a
majority Of the games in which he
went the entire distance. He allowed
a total of $40 earned runs per game
and o. the eighty-seven tallies made
while he was pitching, seventy Were
| earned.
Dave Danforth, formerly Of the Sox.
may return to the big show next
season as a member Of George Glib
sons Pirates. Last season the left
handler pitched for the Columbus club
Of the American Association. Manager
Bill Clymer, of the Columbus club, is
anxious to land first baseman OF ma
jor league experience, and is trying tc
arrange a deal with the Pittsburg club
that will result in HIN obtaining Vie
Safer, who has not played for severa
seasons, is on the voluntary retired
list of the Pittsburg club.
During the recent National league
meeting Manager Gibson and Clarence
Rowland, the leader of the milwaukee,