New Britain herald., 1930-09-17
No. 3-Big Time Stuff

Connie Mack was 23 years old when he broke into major league baseball as a catcher in 1SS6 with the Washington team, then a mem Der of the National league.
 The pre-war slogan about Wash peace and last in the American league" was as applicable a half century ago as it was in later years. Washington finished last in the Ma tional league race of 1886, in spite of the arrival of the recruit who was to occupy so conspicuous role in baseball history
 The year that the youthful Mack broke in was noteworthy in num- Der of respects. AS a backstop he was introduced to the new -fangled chest protectors, an article which be- whiskered, believing old-timers would have scorned At the same time the size of the pitchers box was fixed as seven feet by four feet. Reg ularly appointed league umpires also were an addition to the game.
 Pop Ansons famous Chicago team was at the end of its reign in win ming the pennant in 1886. The equivalent of the world series that year was played with the St. Louis club of the American Association, managed by Charles A. Comiskey, famous later as the Old Roman and owner of the Chicago White Sox when the American league came into being.
 St Louis won the series, games to ?, with q team featuring such famous figures as Comiskey at first base. Latham, Gleason, Welch, Foutz and Hudson. Anson's Chicago array included, besides himself at first, Pfeffer, Williamson, Dalrymple, the hind the bat and John Clarkson, the National leagues foreomst pitcher, doing most of the box duty.
 The same year established Matt Kilroy of the Baltimore club as strikeout king, with 505 victims of
 
 original Athletics stole 96 bases and was the leader in this speciality King Kelly, originator of the famous Kelly slide" also was the batting champion of 1886. But the records show no home run monarch worthy of the name, although it was an age of much heavy hitting.
 Mack, purchased late in the sum- mer with four other players from Hartford. played his first game Sep tember 16, 1886. It was also the debut for Gilmore, pitcher who went to the capital in the same deal Known as the Shadow battery" be- cause of their slim build, Gilmore and Mack celebrated their debut by helping the Nationals to hold the strong New York team to a 1-1 tie in eight innings.
 Mack got one of the five hits made off the famous Tim Keefe, New York hurler. He started the only double play of the game, being credited with nine putouts and two assists.
 Mack caught 10 games altogether before the close of the season. One of the pitchers he worked with was Hank O'Day, later a great umpire. For the next three years he did more than half the backstopping for Washington, working in an average of about 90 games each season and distinguishing himself more by his smart, alert work than by any spec tacular hitting. He was timely batsman, dangerous in a pinch, but his best average was 292 for 97 games in 1889.
 As matter of fact, Mack batted over 300 only twice in his career and his life time mark, for II years, was only .251.
 Years later, in a. speech, February 12, 1880. Mack recalled the first southern training trip he took with the Washington club of 1888 and drew the marked contrast between conditions then and nearly a half century later.
 Our manager was a famous char acter, Ted Sullivan" said Mack. He haG been all over the world. On the trip to camp, he took us down in Sullivan sleepers'-that is. day coaches. There were 4 members of the team. Ten were on the verge of being drunkards.
 Sullivan put us up in what we called shacks, at S1 a day. Ameri- can plan. It was difficult to get in- to first class hotels. At Charleston. s, c, Sullivan made arrangements for us to stop at a third class hotel. On the last day. when the walters expected to get their real tip, Sulli-