Howard Ehmke, Refused by All Major League Teams, Wept and Begged for Chance in Series

CHICAGO, Oct. 9 – Not so long ago, Howard Ehmke who stood the Cubs on their top-pieces yesterday, wasn’t good enough for the 15 other clubs in the American and National Leagues.

The story goes that Mr. Cornelius McGillicuddy, known as Connie Mack, decided that there wasn’t another good shake left in Ehmke’s arm. And being a businessman he tapped the interest of those 15 other teams in this guy who casts the baseball at the hitter in a low-down manner.

The reply, as the story goes, came back from Judge Landis’ office that Howard wasn’t wanted.

“Every team in both leagues has waived on you,” Mack told the long, gangling chucker. “there is nothing for me to do, but let you go.

And then Howard, the same man who made several varieties of waving geraniums out of the Cubs at Mr. Wrigley’s plant, broke down and wept.

“Mr. McGillicuddy,” he said, “give me a chance to finish out the season and to get to the world series. I want to pitch one game against the Cubs and I’ll win. I don’t want any pay. All I ask is a shot at those Cubs.”

And so yesterday, Ehmke had his shot at those Cubs.

Did he produce for Connie?

Answer: He did.

And you can bet your family album that he isn’t going to go unrewarded.

Probably they did agree to waive Howard out of the National and American Leagues – those 15 clubs – but that waiving process can’t begin to come up to the waving the Cubs did in Mr. Ehmke’s direction yesterday.

As stated, Howard did agree to work for nothing, just to get a shot at those Cubs. But if you know your Connie, you can bet a sack of potatoes against the summer’s straw skimmer that there will be a heavy piece of sugar attached to Ehmke’s series’ check later this month.