Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-12
Inside
story Of
Old Pete
BY BILL CUNNINGHAM

BY BILL CUNNINGHAM
ONE of New York's better and
" observation-disclosures sports
editors is currently sponsoring a
campaign intended to be nation
wide in scope and consecrated
to the cause of raising a stake
for Grover Cleveland Alexander.
the great, but careless. National
League pitcher of the diamonds
brilliant day-before-yesterday.
Fans and ball players are
being invited to contribute and
what follows isn't set down as
an effort TO cool the cause off
in the slightest. But because
of the fashion in which the pub
licity concerning the project is
being batted around in the ma
tional outfield. the good name
and good will of baseball need
a little protecting.
The picture being uncon-
sciously painted for the fan who
reads at, or on. the Gailop IS
that baseball hungrlly wrung
dry this great star of another
time, then flung him aside
when the good was all out of
his arm and isn't in the slight
est concerned with whether he
lives or he dies.
That, isn't the way 1t was
or is.
THIS is a hard sort Of story
i 10 write. for the trick is TO
straighten out a fact without
hurting an individual. I'd be
the last to want TO add 10 the
woes of the former star, who has
had 'em and still has en-, but
the truth of the matter is that
he has been his own worst
enemy and has mostly himself
to blame for his thorny path.
Baseball as such had nothing
10 do with il. and its further
responsibility Is debatable.
fIe had a long, a successful
and well-paid life in baseball.
But he's one OF those who rate
tie epitsph. "IIe Was a Great
Guy While He Had It This is
no Sunday School class. and
I'm not here TO preach, but
there's a powerful lesson for
Young fellows in the tragedy OF
a personal career such as that
of this truly wonderful pitcher.
II he'd played the all-impor-
tant game of life as he played
the less essential one Of base
ball. the end Of the story
wouldn't be the first paragraph
of this column you're reading.
OLD Alex and his famed de-
~ fiance of all training rules
and common sense were consid-
cred hilarious copy once by the
same scribes who now write of
him sadly-maybe even con-
tritely. One of the favorite
columns of the wide-open Dos
was some new telling of the
standard legend Of an unbeliev-
able World Series episode.
As the story was usually
written. Alex had hurled and
won the last game he figured
10 pitch in the Series--it was
the Cards vs.. the Yanks in 1926
and thus bought he was
through for the season and en-
titled to celebrate. So he spent
practically the entire night in
some gilded spcakeaSy of that
era pouring down successive
beakers of the colored sheep
dip they sold in such baboon
farms as drinking-likker.
NEXT day, so the story in
~ variably went. NJ anager
Rogers Hornsby ord re d the
trainer to get the elderly pitcher
up and out TO the ball park if
IL took the national guard.
Getting into his room was like
a chapter out of alias Jimmy
Valentine" and then great
stress was laid upon the slow
ness with which the doddering
pitcher made any progress in
the bathroom.
Investigation by the i'm
patient. but thoroughly diplo-
matte trainer finally disclosed
that the disturbed sleeper was
working on a quart he had cum
ningly cached under an appar-
emily discarded bath towel.
VOU probably know the rest
L OF the story. The game
and the series finally worked
down in the seventh inning to
the highest climax even a fic-
ton writer could dream. The