Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 216, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1915 — ALTROCK AS A CLOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALTROCK AS A CLOWN

Forces Big Laugh in Recent Game With fankees. Breaks Strain When a Teammate Was Accidentally Injured and Spectators Were Anxious to Know Extent of his Hurt. Nick Altrock, who, since the departure of Arlie Latham and Germany Schaefer for other fields, is the only diamond clown remaining with the main show, forced a big laugh in the frolic between the Yanks and the Senators a tew days ago, when an injury to a player threatened to cast a gloom over the festivities. Fisher and several other Donovanites started to run Shanks down between second and third, and the pitcher finally dashed up behind the runner and slammed him on the back with the clenched ball. The pellet happened to strike Shanks on the spine, and he crumpled up and dropped in his tracks.

As he was being revived and the spectators were on tiptoes to know the extent of his hurt, Nick rushed upon the field, hit himself on the head and pretended to fall unconscious. He picked himself up when his teammate revived and staggered toward the bench with him. The performance broke the strain, made everybody laugh, and both Senators were cheered throughout the stands. Nick is the latest member of the come back club, having qualified for membership by pitching in a couple of games and getting away with it. Nick believes this entitles him to be taken seriously. He declares without the semblance of a grin on his handsome

face that while he will continue to do comedy stunts as a side-line he is not to be taken henceforth as only a clown, but that he has re-entered the legitimate in baseball and is a regular member of Clark Griffith’s pitching staff. Griffith also seems to have taken the matter very seriously. The Washington manager recently made some hot remarks because President Johnson had Altrock chased off the Washington bench. Griff intimated that Johnson was trying to “cripple” his team, but the American league head ruled that if Altrock was so important to Washington’s success he would have to be signed to a regular contract, it appearing that Nick had been carried only as some sort of unofficial jester without recognized status. Thereupon Altrock’s standing was cleared and he is now a real hon-est-to-goodness pitcher, Just as Herman Schaefer is a bonafide utility man.

It is to be hoped that Nick will be as handy in service as Schaefer has proven to be. Once Nick was a great pitcher. At least one man in baseball believes he is yet and that one’s name is N. Altrock.