OCR Text |
Show GREflT'tlNOS" Best Ball Players Often Are Discovered by Mere Accident. , ONCE FAMOUS RUSIE . WAS PICKED OFF LOTS Honns Wagner of Pirates Played His -First League Game Without Shoes. Some of tho greatest ball players the game has ever known have "been discovered discov-ered by accident or sheer luck. Five players nave been picked at random, but. they stand among tho best just to show tho truth of the assertion. The men are Ed Delehanty, now doad, probably the greatest and undoubtedly tho hardest hitter who ever put on a pair of spiked shoes; Amos Kusie. who, many believe, was the greatest pitcher ever in the game; Hans "Wagner by the way his proper name is John Paul Wagner; Ownie Bush and Ty Cobb. t Amos Busie began his ball career with the old Grand Avenue team in Indianapolis, Indian-apolis, whon Indianapolis was a member mem-ber of the twelve club National league. This was back in the 'SOs. Itusio was a pitcher, a powerful, husky young giant, who had a world of speed. The Grand Avenues had ono large picnic with the other teams in the Indianapolis Indianapo-lis City league when Eusie pitched. Glasscock Discoverer of Rusie. ' Jack Glasscock was playing shortstop on tho Indianapolis National league team at that time, and Jerry Denny was holding down third bnse. Glasscock was captain of the team. He heard of Kusie 's pitching, and one Sunda' took Denny and hiked out to the- City leaguo park, where Rusie played. Glasscock watched the youngster work and both -he and Denny were so impressed that Rusio was taken down town after the game. The next day Rusie appeared at League park in an Indianapolis uniform. uni-form. The story of his career in the big leaguo is now baseball history, known to all fans. Rusie was a wonder, but his habits put him out of the game when he should have been in bis prime. Ed Delehanty, the greatest of the Delehanty baseball family, began on tho lots around Cleveland, his home city. In ISS6 some one told the manager man-ager of the "Wheeling, "W. Va., team that Delehanty was a great ball player. S'ome days later Delehanty received a letter offering him a trial with Wheeling. Wheel-ing. Delehanty Starts on Infield. The j'oungster didn't havo any money and no transportation was inclosed, but ho stnrted for Wheeling and made his way there by riding freight trains and walking. Ho was an infielder, playing second base, and he nindo good from tho jump. In 1S87 Philadelphia decided to give him a trial, and along in the fall of that year Delehanty made his manor ma-nor league debut, succeeding Bastian, one of tho greatest players or his time, at second base. As a big league second baseman the man who was destined to become a terror ter-ror to the best pitchers tho game has known was not a brilliant success. Neither did he shine with the bat in his first year, as his average for fifty-six games was only .227. In 188S he played fiftj'-four games and soaked tho pill "for .292. Ho alternated .between second base and left field, and in 1890 he went to left field and remained there until his tragic death. Hans Wagner owes his start in baseball base-ball to bis brother, Al Wagner. Al was a good ball player, but every ono thought Hans was too awkward to amount to anything on the diamond. Al was with bteubenville, owned and managed by George Moreland at that time, and Moreland wanted a pitcher. "Get my brother." said Al. "Can he pitch?" Moreland asked. "Well, ho can throw a ball mighty-fast," mighty-fast," Al replied, and Hans was wired at Carnogio to report. His salary was to be $35 a month. Wagner beat his way from Pittsburg to Steubenvillo on a 1 reifht train. Hans Wagner as Pitcber. Frank Bowerman was catching for Steubenvillo and Claude Ritchie also was a member of tho team. Wagner pitched tho first frame, .but after that they put him in t(ho outfield.' His feet were so big it was impossible- to get a pair of baseball shoes in Steubenvillo to fit him, and the greatest ball player of all times played his first league engagement en-gagement in his bare feet. The Steubenvillo team blew up. Mansfield wanted Al Waqner, and wired him at Steubenvillo. Al had another job, so he sent his brother, Mansfield wanted a shortstop, and, although he had been playing the outfield, Hans switched to short. He made good. Later the Wagner brothers went back to Moreland at Wheeling, W. Va., and then were s.61d to Captain Kerr, at that time owner of tho Pittsburg club. Ty Cobb Begs for Job. Ed Barrows, was then managing the Paterson, N. J., team and ho wanted Wngner. ICerr thought to mnktf the deal, but when Barrows explained it was Haus he wanted, ICorr presented him with the Flying Dutchman. Wag. nor made his big hit right there. Pittsburg Pitts-burg tried tp buy him back, hut he was sold to Louisville, and he broke into the big league with Fred Clarke in tho Falls City. Al Wagner is now managing manag-ing Wagner Bros, circus, whilo what Hans is doing is something every base-p3ll base-p3ll fan knows. Tn 1904 Ty Cobb was begging for a chanco with the team at Augusta, Ga. Con Strotbers was managing the team. Strolhers gave Ty a chanco, and Ty was canned because he jumped into the air while running bases, knocked down n ball which had been thrown to catch him, and was called out for interference. interfer-ence. He drew his releaso about ten minutes later. Tho nest year Cobb got another chanco with Augusta and mado good, Owing to, nn arrangement Augusta had with Detroit, whereby tho former team was permitted to uso Pitcher Eddia Cicotiw, with .the understanding Detroit was to got a good man at the end of tho season. Cobb became a Tiger in the fall of 1905. In 1906 he didn 't sliow any too much class, and in tho spring of1 1907 was offerod io Cleveland for Elmer Flick, becnuso the Detroit people said ho was a disorganizer. Cleveland refused ioc moke tho trade. |