Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 171, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1911 — FINO PLAYERS BY ACCIDENT [ARTICLE]

FINO PLAYERS BY ACCIDENT

Some of the Greatest Players Diamond Has Ever Known Were Discovered by Sheer Lock. Some of the greatest ball players the game has ever known have been discovered by accident, or through sheer luck. And tills statement Is the truest thing you know. Five players have been picked at random, but they stand among the best the game has ever kndwn, just to show the truth of the above assertion. The men are the late Ed Delehanty, Amos Rusle, who many believe was the greatest pitcher ever in the game; Hans Wagner—by the way, his proper name is John Paul Wagner; Ownle Bush and Ty Cobb.

Rusle began his ball career with the old Grand Avenue team in Indianapolis, when Indianapolis was a member of the old 12-club National League. This was back In the eighties. Rusle was a pitcher, a powerful, husky young giant, who had a world of speed and a dazzling array of curves. The Grand Avenues had one large picnic with the other teams in the old Indianapolis City league when Rusie pitched. Jack Glasscock was playing shortstop on the Indianapolis National league team at that time, and Jerry Denny was holding down third base. Glasscock was captain of the team. He heard of Rusie’s pitching, and one Sunday took Denny and hiked out to the City League park, where Rusle played. Glasscock watched the youngster work, and both he and Denny were so impressed that Rusie was taken downtown after the game. The next day Rusle appeared at League park in an Indianapolis uniform. The story of his career In the big league is now baseball history, known to all fans. Rusie was a wonder, but his habits put him out of the game when he should have been in bls prime. He Is now living at Vincennes, Ind., working In a lumber yard and dredging for mussel pearls In the Wabash river.

Ed Delehanty, the greatest of the Delehanty ball-playing family, began on the lots around Cleveland, his home city.. In 1886 some one told the manager of the old Wheeling team that Delehanty was a great ball player. Some days later Delehanty received a letter offering him a trial with the Wheeling club. The youngster didn’t have any money and no transportation was inclosed, but he started for Wheeling and made his way there by rifling freight trains and walking. He has an infielder, playing second base, and he made good from the jump. In JBB7 Philadelphia decided to give him a trial, and along in the fall of that year Delehanty made his major league debut, succeeding Bastian, one of the greatest players of his time, at second base.

As a big league second basemen the man who was destined to become a terror-to the best pitchers the game has ever known was not a brilliant success. Neither did he shine with the bat In his first year, as his average for 56 games was only .227. In 1888 he played in 54 games and soaked the pill for a grand average of ,292. He alternated between second base and left field, and in 1890 he went to left field and remained there until his tragic death.