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Grover Cleveland Alexander Now Managing Bewhiskered Ball ClubBy GEORGE KIRKSEY United Press Staff CorrespondentCHICAGO, (CP)—He was batting grounders in infield practice when I walked -into a baJl park in theheart of Chicago's black belt.where the House of David team was to play Cole's American Giants, a negro nine.Even if every other ball player on the field hadn't been black or ! wore General Grant whiskers, anyone who had seen him from the time he broke in with the Phillies in 1911 until he pitched his last game in the National league In 192t) would have immediately rec ognized him.Thee never was but one Grover Cleveland Alexander.There he stood under the flood lights tossing up a ball and bitting it with a bat. the same tall, gaum figure that graced a major leagu* pitching mound for 20 years and left behind him the greatest record of any National er. In that span he lost 209.From a distance changed much. He still wears his uniform sloppily and his cap perch ed on top of his head as if it wer too small for him.Look yonder, boy. a colored gentleman chirped. Thar's old Alex Wonder 'bout how old he is now Betcha 'bout as old as Me thuselah.When he came in to th« bench, h* confessed to 45 last February. And in that stretch he’s been all the way up and down baseball’s scale. Six years ago he was a world serifs hfro. and now the national game has reduced him to the level of a manager and pitcher for « tribe of bewhiskered players touring the kerosene circuit in a bus.His arm may have lost most o{ tg cunning and his legs may have gone back on him. but the nanr trover Cleveland Alexander is a tnagnef to baseball fans. He's ad-ierfjs*d to pitch in everv game.but play the hos* umpires, and ev-league pitch won 373 andhe hasn’t-and he usually goes in for an in ning or two. Last year the House of David team played 184 games and Alexander pitched in more than half of them. They’s played about 115 this year, and he's been in 90 of them.Don't the old soupbone ever hurt you? he was asked.The strain o* pitching night aD-er night makes it get tired quick and I ’Can’t last more n two or three innings. he said. I think, though. If I got my legs In shape and had the proper rest I could go the route once a week.”How do you like this life? This is tougher than playing in the big leagues, he replied. There everything's arrauged for you, you live first class and von don’t have to do nothingball. The poor diamonds, tile crowds, the partialand bad accommodationserything like that makf this pre? ty tough.Eventually we got to talkingabout the time he came in to pitchin the 192fi world series with thebases filled, fanned Lazzeri, and pitched the Cardinals into the world's championship. It written and said that he whfn he came into theday.f wasn't no mfre drunk than them sport writers who started that. Alex said “I took my timeand just kind om mosied in because f kdew the longer it took me to get in thp box the more nervous a youngster like Lazzeri would be.Asked if have lastedimbibed. Alex replied.I don’t see how I could of. !f F had ray career to live over 1 would do just about the same. I used to lose 4 or 5 pounds pitching a game and I wasn't any big strong fellow, f had to get that weight back, and I used to have a few drinks to do tf.has beenwas tipsybox thathe thought be would longer if he had never
Newspaper Details
Ames Daily Tribune Times
Ames, Iowa, US
Mon, Aug 22, 1932
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael W.
NA, 21 Jan 2023
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