The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-08-02
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S N APSHO OTIS
(By JoVE)


4 4NclldCI ClO 1AOuI dGA bSA
1876 in this fair baseball city,
First pitching done in his cradle. :.
Showed promise at Is years of age
!. 1891 with Key West Blues, as
pitcher. Ball league then had
! three teams. Reds, Blues and
Browns. Quite a colorful league
/. Blues managed by Nicolas Cas-
tillo. Won championship that
year. Kid pitcher went over big
!. .1894-97 Rodriguez played over
$50 games, as twirler for benefit
of Cuban Revolution. His famous
iron arm was beginning to mould
into shape. 1895 went to Jack
sonville. Played in city league
there. Carried his catcher, C.
Polio wherever he went. Highly
charged battery. Efforts were
successful. Team won city cham
Ipionship that year. 1898 played
against every ship of battle fleet
, that touched here. Chased sailor
boys back to ships, with many a loss
:. Played against Maine and shut
them out. Later the battleship
was shutout again by an explosion
in Havana harbor.
1898 went to Cuba after the
war was over. out to broader
fields. Three years with profess
sional league in Island Republic. !.
1900 joined list of pioneers. a..
Brought first baseball team from
Cuba to U. S. Played in all the
large cities in u. S. . Called Cub
an Giants. The urge to come
back to Key West was felt. Back
here in 1903. Played against
Baltimore Orioles. {. Jennings, Nc
Graw. Gleason, Robinson, the
manager were Orioles then. {.
Couldn't quite trim the feathers
off the birds. Key West won
one and lost two. .McGraw was
called the yellow Monkey" by
fans here. Because of suit and
antics. .1903-06 Island City
leaguers watched him strike them
out. .1906-15 with the Cuba
team here.
1908 pitched against Cincinnati
Reds. Then had Hans Lobert. :.
Thirdbaseman, fastest man in base
ball. . Miller Higgins, second base
/. .Hobblitcher, first base. 1915
went to st. Augustine with picked
Key West squad. Played three
games against that team. Which
was in strong state league. {.
Played his ace. . Pitched a double
header. Not only won both. :.
But shut them out twice. 1918
played his last game. was a very
,shrewd twirler. Not worlds of
stuff. But used his head. Has
six brothers. All have played pro-
fessional ball. .Felo has seven
sons living. All take to baseball.
j. d. Bearup, Born Flint,
Michigan 1887. Played baseball,
football, basketball. hockey and
rolo polo. Won several cups. !.
Also medals in track and field
events. Made 100 yard dash in
8 and 4-5 seconds. "A hare, hear
ing of this, delivered silent pray
er. That ]. D. wasn't addicted to
rabbit hunting. Made that record
on rubber track at University of
Michigan 1907. Just bounced
along, he says. .Sandlotted and
school teamed from 1S96-1902 in
baseball world. Flint City team
from l9O2-05. Made tour of CEN
trial states with Buick Automobile
team in 1906. Out of 10S games
played, won SO. lost 6 and tied 4
! Included games with Cherokee
Indians at Detroit. Boston Bloom
ers Girls at Yale. Chicago Bloom
er Girls at Flint. Michigan.
Decided his baseball was good
enough by that time to support
him. Joined Flint team Of
Southern Michigan league 1907.
Old Man Hard Luck cracked him
one then. Sept. 1907 forced out
of professional baseball with in
inred arm. .190S with Marines at
Mare Island. California. 1903
with Marines ut Sitka, Alaska.
First uniformed team in Alaska
Probably used sealskins.
| I9l0-ll still with Marines. In
international League at Honolulu
in Hawaiian Islands. League com.
posed Of Hawaiians. Portuguese,
Chinese, Japanese, 9Th u. s. Cav
airy. Goth Infantry. Navy and u.
s. Marines. international Gem.
plieations feared in some games
Played against Reach Al
/ Americans st Honolulu 1910.
Also Wazeda University of Japan
IT same place. 1911. Then ia
Manila League in Philippine Ii,
lands. next two years. 1919
Marines and Sailors formed pick,
ed team and played ut Picking
China and Nakasaka, Japan.
Japs are great hunters and strate-
1 giSts, Bearup states.
/ 1918 with Naval Staten In key
+. West. Voted MoSt Valuable Play.
er in Island City League. 1914