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Show NEWSPAPERS MAKE JACK QUINN OLD Veteran Spitballer Insists Scribes Want Him to Be Aged. Whenever a major league scout sits down, as Pat Monahan of the Southern division of the Red Sox staff did in company with Jack Quinn and "Rube" Walberg of the Athletics, there is sure to he a fanning bee. To Monahan the lobby of the hotel furnished fur-nished the laboratory where he essayed to filter out bits of useful information regarding minor league prospects. Together To-gether the three discussed various players ranging from Ihe Pacific coast to the Atlantic, and it was surprising sur-prising how many were known to all three of the veterans. Finally, the talk switched to newspapers and baseball writers. Jack laughed. "The only question the writers ever ask me now, said he, "Is 'How old are you?' " "Why don't you settle it, Jack," suggested Monahan. Issue a statement state-ment to the press saying, 'I hereby, under oath of a notary public, find myself in my forty-third year' or maybe you're older." Jack faked a withering glare. "Well,"' said he, "it wouldn't do any good. They want me to be old for some reason. Back In 1012 I was sent to the Rochester club of the Internationa league from Old Highlanders High-landers (New York Yankees now). Two newspaper men came down to the hotel. One said, Mack, you've been around a long while, haven't you?' I said 'yes,' thinking that three years with the New York club was what they meant. Then the other said, 'Yeh, you were with the Highlanders High-landers hack in 1901, weren't you?' I thought they were kidding me, so I said 'yes' again. Well, the next day the papers came out with a story about how Jack Quinn, at the age of forty-two this in 1012, mind you was spending his declining years with Rochester." Jack drew a pencil from his pocket and figured diligently. "That makes me sixty years old now," he said. Quinn said one tiling that might have sounded like heresy to Robert ("hefty") Grove had he heard it. "Speed pitching Isn't any good any more." he said, "I mean just a plain fast one unless you have an unusual quantity of it." Quinn, however, Is inclined to be a little bit of an alarmist. alarm-ist. It is recalled that back in 1019 when he was with the Yankees he was much upset when the rule makers mak-ers were taking away what he termed his bread and butter. The spitbnll, which was Jack's stock In trade was being legislated out of existence and Jack foresaw the prospect of a later life of manual toil. However, when the spitball was abolished those pitchers who were still in the majors were permitted to finish out their span of usefulness and Jack, ten years later, is still earning his bakery and dairy products In an efficient manner. He has won 16 games while losing only five, the best record that he has had since coming to the majors ma-jors in 1909. |