Volume 16 , Issue 17

Our Old Baseball Heroes

It was 11 August 1907, page 11, of The San Francisco Sunday Call, they were asking this question, "Where are our old Baseball heroes of yesterday? Where is Pop Anson of Chicago, Dan Brouthers of Detroit, Buck Ewing, Johnny Ward, Charley Bennett and a score more? How the names come back as you sit and think! Where are the old boys?"

Some say the best known ball player in the history of the national game was Adrian Constantine Anson, for many years the head of the Chicago club of the National league.

Others thought Mike Kelly was entitled to that honor. Still others might select Buck Ewing and John Montgomery Ward. John Montgomery Ward was something of a baseball writer when he was in his prime, and his name was appended to articles which were circulated from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Other names of baseball were George Wright, Harry Wright, Albert G. Spalding (who became Anson's employer).

Anson was known in every city in the west and east, whether he had been seen by its baseball clientele or not. Boys were wont to purchase Anson bats, and treasure them fondly. To lose an Anson bat was to lose almost the game itself. Anson's pictures were cherished, and they were not in early days such good photographs or good reproductions of photographs as please the the generation back then. Anson's position at first base was imitated, and to hit like Anson was glory for all time.

You can read the linked article of August, 1907 to see what became of some of the baseball heroes from way back when.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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