Evening star., 1961-01-27
WIN, LOSE OR
DpAW
6NAV By FRANCIS sTANN
Ruth, Hoyt, FeIIer & NuxhoII

EVER SINCE JOE NUXHALL was signed to a Cncn-
natl contract at age 15-this early 1944-some of
the best brains baseball labeled him can-miss pitcher
bound to be a star
He big, strappng kid with fast ball and he
could help his cause at the plate too Each spring the top
minds said This ought to be Nuxhalls year" At first
confidently later hopefully.
Now at 32 Nuxhall has been traded by the die hard
Reds to Kansas City for couple of second-ne pitchers
who already have been assigned to Cncnnats farm team
IN Indianapolis Obviously the Reds who had invested
much in Nuxhall, had given up hope.
What happened? Nobody seems to know At Is his
name appeared in major league box He pitched
one inning and it must have been terrifying experience
After five bases balls and two hits he retired with
$500 earned-run average for the season"
1T TOOK SEVEN seasons in the minors to rehabitate
the big souhpaw from Hamilton Ohio In lesser
company he couldn't win From the Southern Association
and international League he dropped to the Ohio State
League Sally Central and Texas before he considered
ready for the Reds
He did win II games season-1955-but that
his peak and little enough to show for all that promise
And Nuxhals whole disappointing history has set
than one mind to wondering If it wasn't mistake to
pose schooboy however briefly, to big league hters
that day in 1914
But then how about Babe Ruth? He was only 20
when he had 1876 pitching record and 315 batting
average with the Boston Red Sox in 1915 He 1912
pitcher in l6 and only 81 when he beat the Brooklyn
Dodgers 2l in IA innings longest game in World Series
history.
The only this brash unschooled southpaw gave up
firstinning by Hi Myers 1t scarcely upset
him Ruth scattered five hits the last 13 innings and
drove in the tying run.
WAITE HoYT HAD FIVE years of professional ball.
including appearances in Giant and Red Sox uniforms and
still only % years old when he emerged the Yankee
pitching hero in the 1921 World Series with the Giants
The boy from Brooklyn, something of Merry Andrew,
beat the late Are Nehf in his first two starts 80 and 3l
and lost the finale of the series to Nehf To- an
earned run
As matter Of fact both runs the Giants scored off
Hoyt in 27 innings unearned feat that called for
great many toasts to be called Hoyt participated freely
although not necessarily in honor Of himself yet he lasted
is years and was one Of the alltime good pitchers.
Waite, now a fine sports broadcaSter has delightful
sense Of humor. AS very young man he became
undertaken inspiring John Kieran to label him The Merry
Morcan At his peak he also sang in vaudeville. once
sharing billing at the Palace with Clayton Jackson and
Durante
Toward the end of his in 1888 he pitching
for the Pirates and being hit hard by the Cubs who also
riding him hard from the dugout. The Cubs, who
had been routed the Yankees in four games in the 80
World Series picked bad time and the wrong man Hoyt
called time walked in front of the Cubs dugou and said
IF you guys don't shut up I'll put on my old Yankee
uniform and scare you to death" They shut up
. EXTREME YOUTH DIDN'T bother Bob Feer much,
either Feer was only 18 when he up with Cleveland
to stay and at 20 he 17game winner This was in
1888 the next three seasons before enisting in the
Navy he a. 27 and 25 leading the American League
in strikeouts every year.
Feer almost implausiby awkward. He knew little
Of the nceties of pitching but he incredibly fast
that matered little In brief time however Bob &C
quired the finesse to with his innate sks This young
man, unlike Hoy in his earlier days was and remains
stcker for physical conditioning teeotaer breakfast
of-champions guy.
Nuxhal neither rostered like the early Hoyt swung
to the other extreme exempfied by Feer but Cncn
natl scouts who watched him in the beginning felt that his
potential close to that of the others really
came to light. The mystery deepens.