Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 223, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1910 — START OF PITCHER ED WALSH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

S TART OF PITCHER ED WALSH

•ftent Much Time While “Warming Bench," Watching Other Pitchers—Got -Near-Balk".

By ED. WALSH.

Whatever success I have had to baseball Is doe to two things; first, the patience and confidence in me shown President Comiskey and Manager Jones, and second, hard study and hard work. When I came into the American league, I was a raw, green fellow,' strong and willing, but what I didn't know about baseball would have made good pitchers out of half a dozen fellows If it could be scattered around. Prom the first both Jones and Comlskey seemed to think that some day I would be a good pitcher, and It was their confidence in me that kept me there. After I got used to the surroundings I settled down to watch/ what the other pitchers were doing. I had sense enough not to ask many questions, but to keep my eyes and ears open and try to learn all I could. In those days the White Sox had a lot of smart pitchers, men who did things, and who used their heads all the time. Every time I saw one of them pull off something I made a sneak over toward the clubhouse and tried It myself to see whether or not I could do it. I worked as hard in those days as ever a man worked In a mine or & mill. I was determined I was going to be a pitcher. Comiskey and Jones both coached me, told me what to do, and how to do it, but they could not make me a pitcher. A fellow has to do that for himself. When I began to use the spit ball I worked like a horse. I must have pitched two or three games a day trying toget control and make that ball go where I wanted It to go. No one ever watched baseball closer than I did. When Borne good pitcher for a visiting team was working I never lost a chance to crawl as close behind the catcher as possible to see what he was doing, to study how he pitched to certain batters and how he used his curves. I think I spent nearly all of one season trying to get a balk motion that was not. a balk, and finally I succeeded. I defy any umpire to say honestly that I balk, and no one can do It without straining the rules. I was three years, almost, on the bench before I got my chance and when It came I was ready. I was as confident as If I had been pitching all the time. And then, after I had be-

come a winner, I did not stop, but kept hustling and working and trying to learn more all the time. I knew that a fellow must work and' Improve steadily, must learn something new or the batters will learn to hit what he has. So I kept at It, and managed to hold up nay end.

Ed Walsh.