Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-30
Comiskey Death Recalls
Early Base Ball Here

OF Charles A. Comiskey. KNOWN
throughout the base ball world as the
"Oid Roman" marks milestone in base
| ball history Charlie" Comiskey more
than eny other man was responsible for
the present American Base Ball League
as well as this city being a member OF
the American League
After the National League had re-
| duccd its circuit frcm the unwisldy
l2-club league to It's present number.
eight, dropping Washington, Baltimore,
Louisville and Milwaukee, the National
Capital was without a professional base
ball club for two years. The lease on
the grounds at Seventh street and Flor
ida avenue. which was then held by
the owners of the club. the Wagner
brothers OF Philadelphia. was assumed
and held by the National League.
In 1908 the American League, which
had been operating in the West, sought
to extend its circuit by coming East,
with eyes on Washington, Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Boston. capital for
which had been provided Charlie" CO.
miskey, backing the late Ban john
son, financially and otherwise, put john
, son. who had been a sporting writer on
the old Cincinnati Commercial Gazette,
to the fore of the movement and came
to Washington. placing Jimmy" Man
ming as manager. with Fred Postal and
Tom LOTUS as the financial hackers, To-
eating the playing grounds at Fifteenth
and H streets northeast. 1t was the
only available location at the time, but
because of the distance from the center
of the city as we'll as the deficient rail-
was transportation. the club. although
containing several outstanding stars
and finishing we'll up in the race, was
a financial failure.
After the National League lease on
! the grounds at Seventh street and
| Florida avenue expired Wilton j. Lam
| bert, then attorney for the Washing
| ton American League club came to the
writer for the purpose of enlisting his
| interest in It, No one knew the posi-
bilities of winning ball club in Wash
ington better than the writer, since as
| boy he played base ball on the lots
and reported the games for the then
New York Associated Press compiling
| it's first box score Of the games as wei
| as writing special reports for out-of-
town newspapers. He then formed
nucleus with the late and beloved Tom
| Moves of The Star, with whom he had
| been associated in the Bulletin, the
| Columbia Theater and other business
enterprises. took over the Washing
! ton American League club and re-
moved the playing grounds from FIJI
| tenth and II streets northeast to It's
present location.
Charlie" Comiskey, in his playing
DAYS, was one of the most outstanding
PLAYERS of the national pastime. He
played first base and was captain and
manager of the old st. Louis Browns,
owned by the late Chris Won der Abe.
one of the greatest base ball ma
chimes ever gotten together before or
since that time.
When my mind goes back to some Of
| the greatest plays ever witnessed on a
ball field, and none living have seen
more in this city, there is one play
that stands out in my memory as a
gem. 1t occurred when the playing
grounds were located at Ninth and S
streets northwest, where Barnum and
Bailey's Circus held forth in those
| days. The club was then owned by
Monkey, the bill poster. Among the
Washington players was the late Bob
Barr of this city, one of the best
pitchers of his day. He could drive a
ball into the air as far as Dan Brou-
! theirs. Ed Delehanty or Babe" Ruth,
but he could not get it on line which
was the reason for the play. Unlike
| the miniature bandboxes one sees
| around the major league circuits today
the grounds at Ninth and S covered
many acres of land. "Commy" was
4
to Billy" Sunday, the fastest man on
his feet I ever saw in base ball, play
ing center field. There was a man on
first base when Bob" Barr came to the
bat and hit terrific high fly to the
outfield. The ball was seemingly safe
and the runner had reached third base
WEIGH, with an eagle eye, turned his
back to the ball and like a deer ran
fully 100 feet to the center field fence
and throwing up his right hand caught
the ball off the fence. Without lost
motion he threw the ball on a dead line
to the awaiting hands of "Commy" on
first base, completing a double play
When one considers the distance WEIGH
had to run, making the phenomenal
catch and the throw like a bullet, it
was the most sensational double play
I ever witnessed. On any league grounds
today the ball would have cleared the
| fence with Babe Ruth home run.
This is neither the time nor the place
to go into details of the severance of
the personal and financial relations be-
tween "Commy" and Ban" Johnson,
other than to say that whatever their
difference the "Old Roman" was unre-
lenting. w. j. DWYER.
!