BASEBALL QUOTES
Wilbur Cooper
Wilbur Cooper was scouted for the Pirates by future President Warren G. Harding, for which historians may credit Harding with his biggest contribution to the country. Lefty Cooper was an excellent fielder and a fine hitter, who was known for his ability to pick runners off third base. His 202 wins for the Pirates is still the most in franchise history, and he teamed with Babe Adams to form one of the longest-running lefty/righty pitching tandems in history. Cooper won twenty games four times, and from 1917 to 1924 his 161 wins were the most in baseball. In the 1924 off-season, Cooper was traded to the Chicago Cubs in one of Pittsburgh's most unpopular trades. He missed out on the Bucs' 1925 pennant, and seemed to lose a lot of spirit after the deal, going 14-19 in his remaining two seasons in the big leagues. Known as a quick worker on the mound, Cooper once defeated Pete Alexander 1-0 at Shibe Park, in 51 minutes.
Quote From Cooper
Cooper claimed his best pitch was his curveball, but he also credited some of his success to a trick pitch. "I used to chew gum and tobacco at the same time. The combination helped darken the ball."
Harding and Cooper
Cooper played his first professional ball with Marion (Ohio), in 1911. The publisher of the local newspaper was Warren G. Harding, who also owned the baseball team. The story goes that Harding recognized Cooper's ability and told Pirates' owner Barney Dreyfuss about the left-hander. After the season, Dreyfuss bought Cooper from Columbus, for whom he finished the '11 campaign. The southpaw hurled for the Pirates for 13 seasons, while Harding worked his way up the Ohio political machine and was elected President of the United States in 1920.
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