Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 256, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 October 1910 — REULBACH HAD MANY STARTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REULBACH HAD MANY STARTS

Crack Pitcher of the Champion Chicago Cubs Says College Training Assisted Him Greatly. By ED REULBACH. (Copyright, 1»10, by Joseph B. Bowles.) My start in professional baseball is hard to find, as I had started several times. I am willing to tell the ‘facts of the case now, and defend them, because I always thought a college pitcher had the right to pitch for money when not at his own college. I did not consider It wrong. I had pitched around Detroit and St. Louis as a boy, and, being strong and having a lot of speed, had made some little reputation among the fellows. I wanted to go to college, and I did not want my family to have to bear all the expense. In fact, while they could have afforded it, I thought It better to earn my way. I could make money pitching baseball, and I was offered certain favors, which would materially reduce the expense, if I would go to a certain college and go in for athletics. I did not consider this as a salary or bribe, and as I would have gone to the college, anyhow, I thought it as legitimate for me to pay part of my expenses by playing ball as it would have been for a skillful student to keep books for the varsity and help pay his way. Also I determined to pitch during vacations and to make it pay my college expenses. Under the rules 1 did not dare use my own name, as that would have barred me. So I pitched under an assumed name. This might be considei'ed unfair to pitchers for rival colleges, and taken to give me an unfair advantage, but the truth is that it was not so, for two reasons. In the first place the rival pitchers also were pitching all summer, whether or not they were paid for it. But the second reason is better. It is a fact that what I learned about pitching at college helped me more in the minor leagues than what I learned in the minor leagues helped me at college. So I did not gain any unsportsmanlike advantage at all. My real start was with the Chicago

Cubs, and I guess it was about the warmest start ever a young pitcher made. I made my first two appearances against New York, had them beat each time and each time blew up In the ninth inning and threw away the game. That I stuck to baseball after what the old players said to me after those games showed that I was determined to succeed. They had me on the point of jumping out of windows both times, but I got mad and determined 4o stick and show them I could pitch. I guess that was about all that kept me. They figured If I could stand what they said to me I would have nerve enough to stick through anything. The only reason I write this Is to defend summer baseball for college players. I think a college player ought to be permitted to earn money in summer playing baseball if he has the ability, and allowed a chance to earn his college expenses just as well as the student who sells books should be allowed to pay his way through school.

Ed Reulbach.