Evening star., 1937-04-25
BY John Clageft Proctor.

will not be the fault of the local
}ublic, which never seems to lose
ieart, however indifferently the team
nay seem to play Naturally, every
>ody is eager for the Nationals to
vim the pennant this year; but so
IRE the residents Of the other cities
epresented by the seven other clubs
n the American League. The people
IT Washington have had many thrills
n the national pastime, as we'll as
many disappointments, and they are
usually prepared for almost anything.
However, Washington is not alone
n its great enthusiasm for this par
olcular form of sport, and 1t would,
indeed, be hard to find any American
own, however small it might be, that
does not take keen interest in the
came, and, as for the people of the
National Capital, as most everybody
.inows. they have been so fed up on
it for the past 78 years that they
feel they have had it for breakfast,
dinner and supper at least during
The playing season-and they still like
1t and cry for more.
The pioneer base ball club in this
city was the Potomac Base Ball Club"
of which The Star in its issue Of
November 4, 1859, says:
"A base ball club has just been
formed in this city and promises to
prove an efficient organization. 1t is
called the Potomac has 81 members,
with McLane Tilton as president,
Leonard c. Gunnell as vice president
and Richard B. Irwin as secretary. It
is good sign to see such health-pro-
noting exercises taking the place OF
insipid, enervating amusements."
The National Club could not have
been far behind the Potomacs, for in
The Star of May 7, 1860, we find
recorded a contest between these
teams, and the reporter was good
enough to tell us what part of the
city the clubs hailed from-the Ma
tional club from Capitol Hill and the
Potomac club from the first ward,
which subsequent to 1920 included
the area west of Fifteenth street to
Rock Creek.
IN THE early days of the sport the
team that made 81 runs first won
the game, but this particular game
was allowed to go to the score Of
IS to Is, as the following account
states:
Babe Ball.-A game of base ball
was played on Saturday last on the
Mall between the Potomac club of
the first ward and the National club
OF Capitol Hill, in which the latter
club was worsted, IS to Is, in seven
innings"
OF course, by this time, all followers
Of base ball know that the Senators
lost the opening game last Monday,
with the Athletics, and that the Presi-
dent, who threw out the first ball, re-
mained throughout the 10 innings, so
interested was he in the outcome.
But. after all, perhaps the most
interested men in the outcome of the
game, were Clark Griffith, president
of the Washingtons, and Connie
Mack, president Of the Athletics.
Both are former ball players, and both
are good business men, and Connie"
once played on the Washington team
Incidentally, what a fine example
these men make for the rank and file
OF base ball players, many Of whom
are getting fine salaries today and
wasting it as fast as they get it. But
Clark Griffith and Connie Mack knew
just what to do with theirs, or they
would not be in the positions they
hold today.
Both were undoubtedly steady in
their habits, and did not need watch
ing to see that they did not go astray
Unfortunately, so many people feel
that what they do today is soon for
gotten, but they only too frequently
live to find out that this is not So
And, especially is this true of the
discreditable things of life, which con-
fTont us when we least expect them
Connie Mack was fine young man.
and has never outgrown the habit of
being all good citizen should be.
Here is what The Star said of him
On April 7, 1888, when he was Wash
ington1 star catcher:
favorite. He is always willing
to play, and plays hard to win. The
public would rather see any other
man on the ball field make an error
than Catcher Mack. His success in
his difficult position is due largely to
the fact that he always keeps in good
condition. His manager doesn't have
- ic HI, fN- ~
will sneak off and get drunk. What
ever else may happen, he knows that
Mack will play the same game week
In and week out
He was part Of the Hartford con-
tingent of 1886, and the management
has never regretted that his services
were secured When he came here
he was paired with Gilmore, whom
he caught to perfection, but last year
ne performed most Of the work be-
hind the bat, and he and big Whitney
were known the country over as the
toothpick battery.
He is steady catcher, an accurate
thrower, and flrst-class batter. He
has little or nothing to say during a
game, but keeps his jaws going quietly
oil the time, and for that reason the
accompanying picture may not look
very natural. He was born in Brook
field, Mass, Is years ago, and began
work on the professional diamond
In 1884 as catcher on the Meriden,
Conn, club. which was in the State
League. Hartford, of the Eastern
League, secured him in 1885, and
retained him throughout that and the
following year. Manager Gaffney
found that he was at liberty for the
season Of 1887, and he signed with
the Washington team during the
Winter. He is 6 feet in height and
weighs 160 pounds 1t is a common
saying, while the players are practic-
ing that Connie won't chase the
ball because he is afraid that he will
lose pound In 1887 he stood num-
ber Is in Is catchers, with an average
Af 900 Tn ha attjpo his avorooo u,o g