The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-06-12

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perimenting, begging Jack not to men,
ton the incident. Jack said he would
broadcast it to the world. Stricklett
pleaded with him while the Jumps
bawled to them to play ball. Finally
Jack told Stricklett he would be mum
screwy ball while he was at the plate.
The pitcher agreed. Whenever Jack
was at the plate, Elmer would give him
'fat" ones, but the rest of the batsmen
experienced a nose-dive in their batting
averages trying to solve the spitball Of
| Stricklett.
At the end of each season Jack re-
owned a ranch neal Craig. Each fall
Griff would arrive in Helena for the
hunting season and to look over his
Craig preserves. Jack and Griff were
great friends. They had lunch on the
day Griff arrived in the Capital city.
Sent "Spitter" to Majors
Jack asked Griff what he thought of
the spitball. Griff said he had never
rice Weiss cafe at Helena, and leaving
their lunch, repaired to the alley back
of the cafe. Jack had secured a glove
which Griff adjusted to his hand. Elan
merry then tossed -"spitters" at Clark.
who didn't know how to catch them.
Griff was interested. He wanted to
IN v ~ wac AO24C, dx4Os -
known as a great hurler in the majors,
wa given a pitching lesson by Elan
merry. The splitter" was taught to Griff's
pitching staff the next season.
Jack Chesbro was the ace Of the
New York pitching staff and he took
to the new delivery like duck to water,
enjoying his greatest season. Happy
as one of the greatest of spitball pitch
ers. When Stricklett was using the
splitter at Portland, it was not illegal,
because it had never been used before.
It was something new. Years later,
steps were taken to railroad the splitter
out of baseball. Brooklyn purchased
Stricklett from Portland, but Elmer had
only average success as a major Lacquer.
Coast Best of All in COS
Jack insists that the minor leagues
not only gave birth to the splitter" and
squeeze play" but were responsible
for other Innovations, which naturally
were adopted and perfected by the
major leagues.
Mr.. F1annery, as the umpires called
him, insists that baseball as played in
the late COS and early 19O0's was plenty
to Jack. Flannery has always insisted
that the Pacific Coast league in the
late ''90's was the fastest Of all leagues
of that day. The National was the only
major league, the American league
being unknown until 1899. Jack had
offers. to play with the Chicago and
Cincinnati teams, but in. those days of
much money in: the Coast league as the
Cubs o Reds offered to pay.
* Calls Johnson, Cobb Best
Walter johnson ! was the greatest
pitcher, in baseball; and Ty Cobb the
greatest aL-around and most valuable
player, according to Jacks way of
thinking, though he has never seen
many major league teams play. Babe
Ruth, Larry LaJoie and Hans Wagner
Cobb ess ta'e0 by f'annef' f'sh' eh'no
The best minor league pitcher in
Jacks estimation was Pete Bowling,
who pitched for Butte league teams in
1904-05. Tony Mullane was next in his
select list. OF all the batsmen who i'm
pressed Jack in the minors, he recalls
four who played in this neck Of the
and Joe Marshall, long range hitters,
and piggy" Ward and Red Mcmillan,
spot or place hitters.
He's a Grandfather
When asked what year he broke into
baseball, Jack remarked it was a per-
sonal matter. The old boy knows what
1t. Is to be grandfather-in two places.
He has been around a long time. Sid
Phillips, who prides himself on re-
Numbering dates and events, states that
he attended Jacks 50th birthday din
ner, nearly 20 years ago. Sid has been
indicted for elaboration upon occasion,
and he may be off a few years one way
or the other.
After his baseball days, Jack was
chief Of the Helena police department
for q number of years; later he served
as fire chief at the Great Falls smelter
plant. In recent years he has been at
tached to state government agencies
At the present writing he is on the staff
Of the Hotter Hardware Co. of Helena
He was in Butte a few weeks ago at
tending the Hardware mems conven-
ton. When called upon for a talk al
one of the meetings, he remarked that
it was natural for a hard-boiled guy
like himself to drift into a hard bust
ness. But beneath his suit of clothes
| there beats a warm, friendly heart, fol
Jack Flannery is a grand person.