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Even in ‘Kerosene Circuit’ Old Alex Still Packs ’Em InBY GEORGE KIRKSEY /league pitching mound for twenty Eventually we got to talking him off the Cubs, butunited rress Starr correspondent ; years ana left behind him the great- about the time ha came in to pitch Rogers Hornsbv.CHICAGO. Aug. 22.—He was bat- est record of any National Leagueting grounders in infield practice when I walked into a ball park in the heart of Chicago's black belt, where the House of David team was j to play Cole’s American Giants, a I Negro nine.Even if every other ball player on the field hadn't been black or worewhiskers, any one who had seen himfrom the time he broke in with the Phillies in 1911 until he pitched his last game in the National League in 1930 would have recognized 1 im. There never was but one Grover Cleveland Alexander. There he stood under the floodlights, the same tall, gaunt figure that graced a majorLEADING HITTERSP'.aver—Club. G. AB R K. Pet.ODoul. Robins .. 117 476 100 176 .770Klein, Phillies ... 122 520 134 186 .358Fcxx. Athletfts... 121 461 119 164 356Hurst. Phillies .. 118 453 93 160 .353Manush, Senators 115 478 94 167 349HOME RUNSFoxx. Athletics... 44 Ott. Gianis ..... 27Klein. Philiies— 35 Averill. Indians. 27 Ruth, Yankees.. 35HITSKlein. Phillies.. 186 PVaner. Pirates 167 O Doul. Robins. 176 Terrv, Giants.. 167 Manush. Sen t'rs 167RUNS BATTED INFoxx Athletic* 133 Hehrisr Var.Veec 11Rpitcher. In that span he won 373 and lost 208 games.Alex hasn’t changed much. He ill wears his uniform sloppily and his cap perched on top of his head as if it were too small.“Look yonder. - boy,” a chirped. Thar's old Alex, der bout how old he is now?''When Alex came to the bench he confessed to 45 last February. In that stretch he's been all the way up and down baseball's scale. Six years ago he was a world series hero, and now the national game has reduced him to the level of a manager and pitcher for a team of be whiskered players touring the kerosene circuit” in a bus. The1 name, Grover Cleveland Alexander, still is a magnet to fans. He’s advertised to pitch in every game, and he usually goes in for an inning cr two. Last year the House of David played 184 games and Alexander pitched in more than half of them. They’ve played about 115 this year, and he's been in ninety. Alex is the drawing card.“Doesn’t the old soupbone ever j hurt you?” he was asked, j The strain of pitching night after night makes it get tired, and I can’t last more’n two or three j innings,” he said.in the 1926 world series with the bases filled, fanned Lazzeri, and pitched the Cardinals into the world’s championship. It had been written and said he was tipsy wheu he came into the box that day.I wasn’t no more drunk th?^I knew the longer it took me to get to the box the more nervous a youngster like Lazzeri would be.” Pat Moran, who managed the Phillies when he broke in, Aiex regards as the greatest manager he ever played under. He hasn’t much regard for Joe McCarthy, who finedhe believesrecently releasedby the Cubs, was a great leader.I liked to play for Hornsby,” said Alex. He never said this or that to me. He just handed me a ball and said ’you’re pitching today,’ and he never tried to tell me how topitch to a batter or second-guessedme.”Gentlemen’* Finn ( lothr* to MeaaaraKAHNTAIL^7I71N'3 CSJS«rond Floor Kahn Bnildln*Meridian at Waahinrtnn# Temperature is automatically adjusted to the requirements of the steel inNegro them Sport writers who started Wen- that.' Alex said. I took my time and just kind of mosied in because
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