Evening star., 1953-04-13


couple of when the National League
18th anniversary at the founding hole Broadway
Central Hotel on the fringe of Greenwich Village Like
group OF old lodge members at reunion the clan gathered
Nichols Ed Walsh Arle Latham Connie Mack
Cy Young Fred Clarke Clark Griffith None got
bigger bang out of the celebration than the Kid.
NICHOLS BORE NO GRUDGE because he had to wait so
long for Hall of Fame recognition. I'm just tcked to be
included" he saying How would you like to be
toned the breath with that feow?" he point
ing to Cy Young holder of the ame for big league
victories with Sill 81 wasn't in his class of but
I'm sometimes mentioned in the same breath"
Griffith saying, mo, Kid Nichols wasn't good
Cy. Nobody except Walter Johnson. But I sad
was real good They really worked him hard Those
days pitcher got two days rest Kid wasn't very bg-I
he wasn't real strong looking like Young and
otIers-and always could pitch much"
If Nichols did not measure to Cy Young and Walter
Johnson he probably the best alme pitcher to
Boston uniform Over stretch of eight years891-
he 80 occasions After his rookie
$780, 26-game winner Nichols
had years which he from 81 to IS Then,
after supng 27 victories in 1895 he reoned the 3Ogame
class for three seasons in
Not Young closely approached this record.
NICHOLS WAS A PRoTEGE of Frank G. selee, of
Methodist clergyman mild courteous and physically fra
man, Selee sharp contrast to of the
boserouS personalities the Never much of player
himself Selee managed couple of minor league pennant
winners including Omaha in 1885, Nichols was 2O-yearold
pitcher for him that year.
seee came to the National League manage the
the Beaneaters later to be tagged
moment the Milwaukee Braves. He recommended the pur-
chase for $500 of Nichols.
Selee good at finding players He almost had to be-
This was during the time when John Montgomery Ward was
organizing National Brotherhood of Baseball Players
Of all established raded by the Brotherhood none
the Beaneaters Unfortunately for Boston,
Seee made one in judgment He turned down
a raWboned River Frenchman named Napoleon Laole
BUT SELEE MADE no mistake Nichols. Nor on Bobby
Lowe whose purchase price of $7OO made him of the
games biggest bargains Fred Tenney Jimmy Collins
Chick Stah others The Beaneates won five
during this period.
Fantastic no less Nichols record in retrospect How
anv pitchers in their first year? How many
average practically 80 victories 1O-year Stretch
Nichols did, wasn't until his 18th season with the
Beaneaters that win at least 90 Even then he
came back to 2Oor-better pitcher twice once Tor the
Cardinals-whie managing the team, too.
Yet as he grew older Nichols, unlike many former stars
refused to grow discussing the players OF the last
half century we down with arm, we'd work
out the knk going hospital he'd say and that
was about as caustic as he'd get.
Those fancy salaries pitchers get today for winning II or
20 games or those 100000 bonuses handed to ured nigh
school kids signing only brought forth chuckle Shuck
Nichols remnsced at time of the Jubilee Il won 35 games
for Boston in 2 and year beforehand you know what
I got paid? Three thousand dollars
Ed Walsh overheard gruned Il always heard Boston
paid salaries won 4O ana IoSV 10 4or Ce WIN" QUA
in 1908 and all got was S2,8Oo'