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Alex Finds Youth More Interested In Football, Track Than BaseballBy RICHARD COWELL \ DENVER TP—Young America's feet aren’t itching these days to burn a path around a.baseball diamond.Grover Cleveland Alexander has learned that while touring the hinterlands this summer. And much as the great old pitcher is saddened hy the fact, he*s decided there isn’t anything to be done about it.Once the bushes were filled with youngsters whose hearts yearned for a place in the big league spotlight. Now Alexander finds onlylads who want all-American gridiron honors or Olympic championships,Alexander is piloting a baseball squad of House of David Beard-eded Beauties” on a cross-country trip.If there are any kids left in thecountry who are enthusiastic about baseball or who want to become Ty Cobbs .and Walter Johnsons, I can't find ’em,” he said, I’ve covered lots of bush league territory since I joined up with this three-ring baseball circus.Pitched For $50 A Month When I was running, around the farm barefooted, I thought playing ball was the only thing I'd ever want to do, and I still feel the same way,” said the veteran,I can remember how crazy I thought a bunch of Central City J Nebraskans were when they offered me §50 a month to pitch for them—the first baseball money 1 ever earned,”Alexander’s ride to baseball heights included only two way stations—Galesburg, 111., and Syracuse, N. Y. He broke into the big leagues as a member of the Philadelphia Nationals • in 1911 and stayed with them until 1918 when he was sold to the Chicago Cubs. He won world series fame with the St. Douis Cardinals In 1926.It’s different now,” Alexander shrugged. I'd rather see a big farm boy knocls one of my fastOld Grover Cleveland Alexander, oneo the peerless righthander of the . National league, Is the latest to discover that young America isn’t as excited over baseball as it was In his youth. Above is a resent photo of Alex and one. of his playmates on the bearded House tf David team. A2ex Insists on having a shave every day,ones a mile than to see him strike out.Don't Even Hit Umpires I never made any money to speak of in baseball. I pitched for the fun of it. I liked the big thrills. Nowadays the boys play, for the big salaries. They don't even get to take a nice swat at an umpire; fines are too costly.“Maj'be the Cards still have their old ’knot hole’ gang of kids, I don’t know. If there are any kids left who like baseball, it must be the boys Babe Ruth finds in the orphanages.You can’t find them in the bushes any quicker than you'd find One-Eye Connolly in line at a ticket window.”
Newspaper Details
Moberly Monitor Index
Moberly, Missouri, US
Mon, Jun 19, 1933
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael W.
NA, 21 Jan 2023
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