Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1919 — EDDIE PLANK, ONE-TIME GREAT PITCHER, HAS RETIRED FROM BASEBALL FOR GOOD [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EDDIE PLANK, ONE-TIME GREAT PITCHER, HAS RETIRED FROM BASEBALL FOR GOOD

Eddie Plank, one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, will not play with the Yankees this year. He returned his contract unsigned, with a letter saying that no amount -of money would induce him to change his mind. . He has retired for all time from professional baseball. Made Athletics Famous. The man who helped make the Philadelphia Athletics famous several years ago was traded to New York by the St. Louis Browns a year ago with Derrill Pratt for Fritz Maisell, Leslie Nunamaker, Nick Cuiiop and a few others, but he never reported. Miller Huggins had. hopes that he would change his mind this year, and sent him a generous contract, but Plank has settled down to the automobile and garage business at Gettysburg, Pa., and is doing so well that the call of baseball is unheeded be-

yond a few games which he frankly admits he will pitch for some semiprofessional team when the weather gets good and hot. Not Holding Out. Flank made it plain that he was not holding out, and that he had no fault to find with the contract offered. Heslmply has made up his mind to retire and suggested in a nice way that it would be useless for the Yankees to offer him more money _ than the contract which he returned called for. This means the -definite and final passing from big league baseball of a player who was ever a credit to the game and a pitcher whoi ranked, with the greatest and best. He is 43 years of age, and it is little wonder that he has decided against taking a chance of marring a career which will long be remembered In the history of the game.

Southpaw Twirler Refuses to Sign Contract.