San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-04
RAY TRAVELS
BACK TO
MAINE
After Travels All Over
Baseball World, He's
Back Home.
BY A. nj. GOODWIN

PORTLAND. Marie. April 3
l912- is simple notation found il
l912- is a simple notation found il
the major league directory Of all time
which is part of statistician Ernest
J. Lanigan's Baseball Cyclopcdia.
In the same list, further down APP
years: Ray Jordan, Washington
American League. 1919"
Its natural to infer that the refer.
ences are to different members Of the
genus Jordan. Its rarely that they
come back 10 the big league after
seven years absence But Jordan,
who wore the White Sox uniform for
few weeks in 1912. and Raw Jor-
dan. who donned major league span
giles again when he Joined the Sena-
tors in the fall of 1913. are one and
the same hatd luck person.
Lanigan didn't know that Raw Jor-
dan had once pastimed for Jimmy
callahan, and Clark Griffith didn't
know 1t. In fact. no one deeuly con-
cerned. except jordan himself knew
IT. and the tail, cadaverous. weather
tanned, reucent Yankee figured that
IT would be just as well If be kept the
secret
Seven years is a long time in the
lie of baseball player, he drawlcd
IN his deep cultural to intimate
friends. "and what they don't know
won't hurt EN- Therefore. when
Jordan came 10 Griffith from the Buff
falo club Of the International League
along with Stanley Harris. he posed
as a genuine young minor league re-
cruit.
II is quite probable that when the
Senatorial scout recommended the
signature Of Raymond ~Lanky" JOr-
dan for a Washington contract. he
thought the big chap would be a more
valuable asset even than the -boy
manager Harris, who was corraled
from the Bison herd at the samt
time, and who has since piIoted the
Lawmakers TO one worlds series and
two American League championships.
Bucky' Harris was considered
promising infielder, but Jordan was
rated as one OF the sensational pitch
ers of the International circuit.
TWO HITLEss GAMES.
The angular woodsman from Maine.
odd Deerslayerr we call him down
mere from a fancied resemblance to
J. Fenimore Cooper's romantic char
acter, established a possible worlds
record when working for the Buffalo
club IN 1919. He pitched two hit
less games, one against Jersey CITY
and the other against Toronto. and a
one-hit game against Jack Dunn's
perennial pennant purloiners from
baltimore. The Jersey CITY victory
was also a runless contest. the "Skeet- |
er" being shut ont 3 to 0. Big Jack
Bentley spoiled Jordan's chances in |
the Baltimore battle when be boupad /
= scratch hit over an infielder's head
IN the final inning.
Jordan's ambitions TO make the |
grade in the major leagues were ruth
lessly shattered by the hand Of Fate
10 l3Iy Just as seven years previously
when he tried to break into Comis-
Keys fold after big season in the
western League. II was a leg broken
sliding bases in an exhibition game
az Des Moines that laid him off the
White Sox pay roll. When his next
opportunity came after many gpm-
mers toll and seasoning on minor
league diamonds the magnates gath.
cred and declared ban on the "spit-
ball And, "Gipsy7 Jordan. As be
was known in Buffalo and San Fran.
CISCO. or "Lanky7 Jordan. as b. was
dubbed in Portland, Maine. and san |
ANTONIO. Texas. was spitball pitcher
without reservations.
Washington hired Jordan in Sep
TENDER. and fired him in February.
or rather shipped him +. O b. 10 I
San Francisco TO frolic with the train
ed Seals" who didn't care if he
soaked the ball in molasses So long as
be won games.
As bit Of naive aftertLought in
connection Rith his short soiourn i'm
the nations capital, Jordan remarked
that there might. have been other pow
eriui influences at work. besides the