Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1911 — REAL START WAS AT OMAHA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REAL START WAS AT OMAHA

Jack Pfiester. Premier Left-Handed Pitcher of Chicago Cubs, Tells of Early Days. By JOHN PFIESTER. (Copyright. 1910, by Joseph B. Bowles.) The. way I got my start in professional baseball was funny. A man-, ager saw me make three base hits in a game and tempted me to go out into the minor leagues. He informed me he didn’t think much of my pitching, but wanted me for my hitting. Those who do not understand the joke please refer to the batting averages. I„was pitching in the “bottoms” at Cincinnati and working at my trade. I preferred pitching to working at the trade in those days. In fact as I was born and raised within a short distance of the National League park I had the “baseball bug” by the time I was old enough to go to school, and school and baseball conflicted for a long time. I landed finally with the Shamrocks, one of the star semiprofessional teams of the city, and after hopping in and out of the minors and up and down from the big league I finally landed at Omaha, where I made what I regard as my real start- Before that I had been falling more 'through lack of experience than anything else and under Bill Roufke I got about all the experience and work anyone needed. I worked every other day and in a lot of double headers. It was at Omaha that I began to see the big possibilities of pitching and I realized that If I was going to get along in the game I would have to do a lot of work and studying. I found I had been using myself and my arm up uselessly and altered my pitching styles so as to get the most on the ball at the least expense to the “salary whip.” In other words, I began to make my head help my arm —and from that time on I was a much better pitcher. I had been tried so many places that a lot of the scouts and others who were seeking pitchers began to pass me over without a thought, assuming I wouldn’t do because I hadn’t done. At any rate I was in a funny position. I had a non-reserve contract so that at the end of the season I woul<j be at liberty to sign with,any team I chose —providing it wanted me. The Chicago team scouts had noticed the change in my pitching style and came after me. I did not know it, because C was not told, for some time. Final-

ly I was brought t 6 Chicago by my manager, and sold myself to the Chicago club. I had wanted to join Chicago for some time and was ready to sell myself cheap to get there.

Jack Pfiester.