|
“Wheeling , July
20, 1941
Mr. Don Bassingfelder
My Dear Sir,
Your letter at hand. And contents noted. I will endever to try and give you some information that never
came out. I am writing out. I am starting from my boyhood. Our peoples was very poor and not having
theirs at fingernail. My father was a
carpenter, a house carpenter also. A
cabin builder. He built a cabin on
steamboat from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. And of course when I got big enough I had
to help provide. My dad was a good
one. And I got to handle tools pretty
well myself. We were Scott and Irish
descent. We had no high school at that
time, and I went through the four room we had. And also went to night school. I would work through the day, and play ball
of the evening. That how I
learnt. But I am telling you, this is
how I got good. Well, I never worked
work on Saturday afteroon, and we always had a game
on that day. Well we were working on a
boat. And Saturday some at noon.
And I laid off and father come home that
evening and told me the Captain told him.
He said Son, the Captain said you would either give up baseball on
Saturday afternoon or quit. So I quit. And some businessmens
got together and formed a club. And I
was lucky enough to get a chance. I
was played (40.00) a month to play. I
started as a third baseman and our clubs played all clubs coming through here
to Pittsburgh. And the managers of those
club liked my playing. And I
came to get out the following season.
I went to Pittsburgh, and
played two month. And theys disband. And
I didn’t get any salary. Went to
Cleveland, an independent club and finished the season. That was the year (1878). And the business of Cleveland
got together and went with the National League (1879). I played third base that season. Well, the
next year (1880) they decided to put me at shortstop. And there I stayed my career of playing in
the National League. I was in Cleveland
from 1878 to 1884. And went to St.
Louis under Henry Lucas (1885). And got $1,600 for this work. Where I got only a thousand. I want to tell you what happened about this
first month of (1880). I was pretty
young at that time. I got word my
mother was very sick and (not) expect to live, so I come home. After a few days he pass
away. I went to club at Cincinnati,
I think. And played one game. Don’t think I made a hit in that game. We
went to Chicago. I came to bat with three mens on the bases with two out. Goldsmith pitching. He was a good one. And I struck out. Well, we went to Boston
and after I was told to go on the gate (Editor’s note: this means being his
salary was a cut of the attendance, instead of a fixed salary). I never asked about it. Our Manager was named Evans. A high hat man. He would put our club up at a hotel and he
would go to a better one. I didn’t
think he new much about the game. We
played 2 games at Boston minus myself. And went to
Worcester and still on the gate
for those there. Well, we went to Albany
to play an exhibition game. I was put
I again. Tim Keefe was the
pitcher. And I made three hits off
him. And one a three baser. That was the one time I was laid off for
not hitting in all my career. Then Albany
want to buy me, because I guess I maken then those three hits. Evans wouldn’t sell me. I often wonder what would have been my fate
if that players put in my place would have done any hitting. He didn’t make a hit in the whole six
games. I guess I was lucky. Well, I was in St.
Louis in 1880 to 1886, and Mr. Lucas lost money and throwed up the franchise.
And then the Indianapolis
step in. The fans at St.
Louis presented me with a diamond pin. And that fall when Lucas quit, I could have
gone to Boston. Theys offered to
give me, the St. Louis club, $7,500 for me. And
the league stepped and paid us players.
And no clubs buy us. That was
done so no club to get us and sell us.
That was the way we went to Indianapolis,
under those conditions. I was three
years at Indianapolis. And Mr Brush,
President, he got the confidence of the National League. So he owned us. And when the year of 1889 came along, the
brotherhood (Editor: brotherhood was The Players Leaguer, a rebellious league
formed by players. It was eventually aborbed into the National League), we were sold to New
York Club. I think 1889 was my best
year as I played great ball. I made
209 hits. And ought to led the league but Brothers. Went to New York
in 1889. Led the National League in
hitting that year. And that year the
Brotherhood and National came together, and I was kept with them. I had a bad year. I went to St. Louis
under Von Der Ahe, and
sold to Pittsburgh the following
year. Was released from Pittsburgh
the following year and went to Louisville. And throwed my
arm out. Was release and went to Washington
D.C., and played a couple month. And hurt my
arm again. And that wound up my career
in the National League. So you got all
my life as a player in the National League.
You can look over it, and search out what you want. I was up at St. Paul
for three years with Comiskey. But played First Base. Never went back to short stop again. My name have
always been Jack Glasscock. But my
right name home was always John WEsely. But always been been
called Jack.
© cycleback,
all rights reserved.
Return to cycleback
museum
|