The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-27


For several years at the end of each
championship fight there had been
wide discussions as to whether the
best club had won the flag, Obviously
| it had. Still there were hundreds
who held the belief that if the second
team had got a good start. for in
stance, it would have won.
Mr.. Temple suggested that the first
and second teams play series of
games to determine which was the
superior club at the moment. AS
trophy to the winner he gave a
beautiful and expensive cup, known
as the Temple cup. AS a con-
sequence the post classic took
the name of the Temple cup series.
Series Unsatisfactory
This was 4regarde1 as a bit of
genuine craftsmanship and four SCI
| ries. were played-1S94 -5-6-7. While
these games were fully as interest,"
ing at the times as the worlds series
affairs are now, it dawned upon base
/ ball people then that such a test
was unfair to the winner of the
| championship. 1t took the edge off a
victory that had been the result of a
whole seasons hard work. To per-
! NIT short series to rob club of
such glory did not seem right. There
was a lapse of several years before
another series was played. After
Brooklyn and Pittsburg fought it out
in 1900, Brooklyn winning, the Tenn
| pie cup series idea was abandoned.
The cup was given to Joe McGinnity
by the players. 1 have heard that he
still has it.
The New York Giants took the first
cup from us in 1894 in four straight
games. This rather took the edge off
the enthusiasm of Baltimore fans and
somewhat dulled the lustre of our
capture of the seasons pennant.
At that, we managed to win the
Temple cup the next three times,
though we did not win the pennant
in 1897. Our post-season victory
took the limelight away from the
championship Boston team just as
the Giants had hurt us in 1894.
Two Pitchers Won
| I shall never forget that first Tenn
| pie cup series. To be sure that the
Giants finished second so as to get a
chance at the cup, Jouett Meekin and
Amos Rusie pitched every other game
for New York for the last month of
the season. Can you imagine pitchers
going through a strain like that in
this day and time?
Not only that, but they stepped
right in and pitched all the games
against us in the series, winning the
| famous cup in four straight games.
each winning two.
Fans Went wild
New York rooters came down on
us in a great furry. Such old fans
as De Wolf Hopper, Digby Bell, Nick
Engel and Harry Stevens went crazy
with delight over the success of
Johnny Ward and his Giants After
that series Ward retired from base
ball, by the way, leaving a wonder
full record behind him, due to his
work with the Providence and New
York clubs for 16 years.
John Ward was an outstanding
character in the game and his per-
sonality was admired by fans and
baseball people throughout the coun-
try. He became a lawyer, and has
been my personal attorney for years.
Though we had many scraps on the
ball field he was an opponent that
one could warm up to. He had both
fighting spirit and rare playing
ability
While Jouett Meekin and Amos
Ruse pitched wonderful ball in that
first series they could not have won
but for the great support given them
by the Giant players, especially Ward
Mike Herman and Eddie Burke.
l do not offer this as an alibi but.