Evening star., 1924-09-22

A MATTER Of eight days kept
~ George Anthony Mogridge in
\ professional base ball. 1twas
just that long between the last pay
day for the Galesburg club and the
dav Georges pal from boyhood was
released by the club And George
needed the money those days
That was in the Spring OF 1911 when
George and his pal went from their
home town OF Rochester. N. r.. to
Galesburg, Ills: agreed that If either
failed to make the professional grade
the other would quit the bushes
with him. The work OF George
pal did not satisfy the manager o.
the Central Association outnt ana H.
drew 4 release.
When George learned OF 1t. he II"
titied the management he wa
Through" whereupon the manage
ment notified George he would
stuck for eight days salary If thu
was so George quickly calculate
the amount needed for railroad flr
the 1000 miles back to Rochester Al
he has been in organized base h@
ever since.
Was Grade School Box Star.
That GaIesburg job was the FIR
Mogridge tackled in the profession
ranks, but he had been buzZlI
around diamonds since Childhood. /
was born in Rochester, February |
1889 and even in those days base q
was immensely popular there. Geor
was barely six years old when he Il
left anded his way into the pitch
position with an elementary sch
nf
a two-hit game against rival scho'
team According to the pitcher
though. all the opposing batters wer
left-handed.
A few years later. George was sour
ryinc around with other boys OF III
neighborhood. raising funds for UNI
forms for d club that in few sea
sons was able to take the measure
OF all other Juvenile teams IN Ro-
chester George had made such
name for himself as "A pitcher that
when 16 years old he was signed by
the Blue Labels. semi professions
team representing company that
marketed product afterward taboo
ed by one Nolstead.
Their Rivals Solved Problem.
The Blue Labels great rivals were
the Flower City Athletics. they clash
about Rochester and when George
pitched against the Flower City
crowd he usually gave ii a sound
drubbing At last, the Flower City
team realized the only way to over
come the Blue Labels was to get
MogridCe off that nine and that 1t
did by signing him the following sea
SON Then the Flower City nine beat
the Blue Labels for the Championship
of Rochester.
About that time Rochester Uni
versity needed a good southpaw fling
er and George was pressed into ser
vice. He was a varsity slabman two
years and during his term Rochester
enjoyed considerable success on the
diamond. Then George got bid from
Gales burg and joined that club in the
early part of 1911.
The White Sox took George from
Ga lesburg in midseason and later sent
him to Milwaukee of the American
retaining an option on
him. He came back to Chicago, only
TO be sold TO Des Moines of the West
ern League. where he pitched in 1914.
The Yanks acquired the lanky south
paw the next year and he remained
with them until just before the PEN
nant epidemic hit New York.
came 10 CApitai In l6Sl.
Manager George Mcbride brought
him to Washington in 1921 and the
portsider has been travel
ing at good rate since, especially
against the Yankee clubs managed by
Miller Higgins.
Mogridge, widely known as the
Smiling southpaw," because Of the
grin he invariably wears, pitches as
much with his head as his arm. He
is an adept at getting the goat" of
a batsman by compelling him to wait
for unduly long periods between de-
liverieS He has learned that an
overanxious hitter is the easiest to
dispose of.
(Thts Is the fifth of a series Of articles
bout the Nat ior,dLs, tohoSe sensational
Dork has bee, the outstanding feature
OF the 1921 season.