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Show MIKE DONLIN IS NOW 'RAFFLES' IN MOVIES Remember Mike Donlin? Well, big Mike is now a movie actor and is playing opposite oppo-site to no less a personage than Jaek Barrymore. They do say that the former National league star is some actor in the canned drama. The play is "Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman," and Mike is the thief in the eight-reel thriller. All of which recalls the time when Mike first broke into the halls of baseball fame. Mike was a hard-headed boy who came from the vrilds of Watsonville and his one ambition was to be a pitcher and to then break into the big league. In those days ball piayers did not wear dress suHk xxr have press agents, so it was up to Mike to tell the magnates what a fine bet they were overlooking. He was the country representative of one of the eastern baseball base-ball papers, and each issue would have a story of the doings of the great Mike Donlin. And he was truly great in one branch of the game hitting them all. Finally a. state league scout gave Mike the critical eyes and Mike got a job as pitcher. But after waJking the entire nine in one inning and then hitting several when they came up a second time, Mike was chased to the outfield. Finally Mike landed in St. Louis and during the ten years he played baseball lie hit better than .320. ( His tamper was hiw undoing and Mike's scraps kept him in hot w&ter with the law and order committee of the leagues In which he performed, and then Johnny McGraw took him, and the Lit tie Napoleon Na-poleon made Mike a perfect gentleman, event to the cut of his hair. "With the end of his ba.seba.ll career, Mike turned actor and, with Mabel Hite, nis wife, did a vaudeville act. Mike quit this because Mabel continued to "string him because of the size of bis hands. His wif later died from the effects of a surgical sur-gical operation, and this nearly broke Don in Op. Recently Mike wat! In the llnudigM. in the minor leagues and then he stepped out of the limelight until brought into view again by the movies. |