The Washington herald., 1922-12-12

mat there Is any truth or righteou
Chances Cubs. And no Giant ia
eoncede Ned Hanlon q thing in cor
They never have found the great
est champion. It's q team that will
never be picked, but q grand, old
timer picked 1t. and he never had a
doubt. From the first pink Of dawn
OF baseball to his final gasping breath
last April. Cap. Anson knew only O
single team-his mighty White Stock
ings. who ruled the National League
through the eighties.
The veteran Chicago manager al
ways was most unyielding in his
stand about the White Stockings,
and much Of what he said was right.
OF all the three-time winners, Anson
holds the record of having turned in
his triple effort with fewer changes
N his roster than any other man.
Wins Five Flags.
The White Stockings succeeded the
old Providence Grays as champions
In 1880. They were not deposed until
John Morroll returned the Boston
team to power In 1888. The late
Frank Bancroft edged Providence
into another flag in 1884 with the
great Radbourne as a pitching ace,
but Anson regained the top in 1885.
with practically the sams tam. out
side Of the box, that had won his
first three titles.
Cap repeated in 1886. He used to
say that he never would have lost IL
he had not been forced, for the good
OF the game to sell his star battery,
Clarkson and Kelly, to Boston. An
son got $4,000 for those players in
the first big money deal in baseball.
Cap never again was able to hit the
winning trail.
In winning five pennants over a
seven-year stretch, Anson had total
Of only seventeen men on his list as
regulars. With one change, his in
field played through the seven-year
period. Pheffer replaced Quest at
second base.
Cap on First Base.
Cap himself played first base
through the entire stretch, and for
many years afterwards, while Burns
and Ed Williamson switched back
md forth at third and short. 1t was
Williamson who gave Babe Ruth and
Rogers Hornsby a mark to shoot at,
twenty-seven home runs in 1884.
The outfield Of the champion White
Stockings was practically a constant
quality-Dalrymple. Gore and Kelly,
with Nichol, Ryan and Billy Sunday
getting in from time to time as sub
stitutes.
Flint caught for the team through
most of the reign, but Kelly moved
In from right field toward the last
and became a great receiver. Cor
coran and Goldsmith pitched for the
three-time champions, while Clarkson
and Mccormick did mound duty later
when two pennants were won.
Rise Of Browns.
While Anson and his stalwarts
were doing their stuff in Chicago,
Charles A. Comiskey was getting
things ready for a drive in st. Louis
in the other league-Comiskey won
four straight pennants, a record
which no one else has ever equaled
in the major leagues, and which no
one else. save McGraw. is In a posi-
ton to equal.
Comiskey himself played first
base. and had with him in the in
field, the noted Arlie Latham, Rob-
inson and Gleason-not, however,
Wilbert and the Kid. Uncle Robbie
then was a young catcher with the
Athletics, in Comiskey's league,
while the Kid was starting as a
pitcher with the Phillies.
In the outfield were Tip O'Neill.
Welsh and Hugh Nichol, the last
named having drifted down from
Chicago. Dave Foltz was one OF
the Brown pitchers, and also took
a turn in the outfield. Carruthers.
Hudson, King and Chamberlain
were among the other hurlers. Bus
hong did most of the catching.
Selee Had Fine Team.
II Frank Salee had lived long
enough, and il Ned Hanlon had been
more talkative. Anson might have
had an argument in these later
years. for each of these men de-
veloped a powerful machine soon
after the decline of the White Stock.
fnrs. Each won five pennants. and
Hanlon duplicated Anson's feat OF
winning five in seven years, three
in Baltimore and two in Brooklyn.
Selee gave the game its greatest
infield in Tenney. Lowe. Long and
Collins, while Hanlon produced what
many fans call the one greatest
team, the famous old Orioles, who
even vet are a power in the game
as managers and scouts.
Having acquired Clarkson and
Kelly from Anson. having lost them
to the Players League in 1890. and
having recovered them the following
year. Selee started his team on a
winning career tndt enoeu only
when Hanlon got the Orioles off on
their three-year spin in 1894.
The great Baltimore team-Kelly,
Rrodie, Keeler. Brouthers, Reitz.
Jennings, McGraw. Robinson. Hof-
fer, Corbett. Nopps among them
won handsomely in 1894 and in 1895,
but had a rather tight squeeze with
Cleveland IN 1895.
With his champion infield COM
pleted by the acquisition of Tenney,
Selee returned to the top for two
years in 1897 and 1898. Then fol
lowed Hanlon. with his team moved
almost intact to Brooklyn, for two
more pennants.
Pittsburgh Takes Hand.
The reduction OF the National
League from twelve clubs to eight
gave Barney Dreyfuss a chance to
pick the best men from Louisville
and turn them over to Clarke in
Pittsburg. Clarke responded by
turning the Pirates I'm as three-time
champions in 1901-O2-O3.
Among the immortals developed
were Hans Wagner. Sam sever and
Deacon Philippe. OF .hese Phil
lippe and Wagner lived, in a base.
ball way, to take part in winning
another pennant for Clarke six years