The following article, written by Edward Balinger, was taken from a Pittsburgh paper of recent date:
Perusal of the lists of eligible baseball players which belong to the various clubs of the major leagues, discloses the name of a youngster on the roster of the Pittsburg Pirates, which has not heretofore been handed out.
The name in question is that of Robt. L. Burns Jr. It develops that this youth is a pitcher. Some interesting light was thrown upon who he is and how he came to be offered a chance in the big show, when Samuel W. Dreyfuss, treasurer of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club, was asked last night if he wouldn’t shed the inside information.
Sam said he would be very glad to tell as much about the young gentleman as he could find in his records. He quickly dug a slip of paper from the Pirate archives and proceeded to read aloud. This dope showed that Burns is 20 years old, six feet tall and weighs 160 pounds. He played last season on the teams at Shelby and Hartville, N.C.
Deacon’s Discovery
Deacon Charles L. Phillippe who discovered Burns, liked his looks so well when he saw him playing ball that he lost no time in recommending the lad as an exceedingly bright prospect. The result was that the young pitcher was promptly offered the opportunity to hook up with the Corsairs.
Phillippe went on a scouting trip into North Carolina the latter part of the season just ended. He did not go to look over Burns. In fact, this boy had not been tipped off to the locals at this time. While Deacon was sizing up several kids in that section of the South, he happened to attend a game in which Burns did the pitching. The veteran scout saw at a glance that he had made a discovery.
Phillippe remained in North Carolina long enough to see Burns work several times, and he became so impressed with his performance that he advised Barney Dreyfuss to arrange for the young pitcher to be tried out. The Pirate owner referred the matter to Manager Bill McKechnie, who at once expressed his approval, and Burns, who was a free agent, was given a place on the Bucco roster.
Lad’s Father Is Mayor
Incidentally, Robert L. Burns Sr., the father of the young pitcher, is mayor of Carthage, N.C. The elder Mr. Burns also is president of the leading bank in that town where he is identified with other big business interests. The teams with which the younger Mr. Burns has been starring belong to an independent circuit known as the “Million Dollar League,” which has developed a number of classy players.
Burns is a right-handed hurler, and he likewise swings his bat from the right side. He has all the earmarks of a “future great” and Skipper McKechnie says this recruit positively will take the long ride from his home in North Carolina to the Pacific coast to train with the Corsairs at Paso robles next spring.
Scout Phillippe declares the lad delivers a remarkably fast ball and has the best fadeaway curve he has seen since Babe Adams broke into fast company. Deancno opines that although he went South to look over other youngsters who failed to measure up to requirements, the time he spent in North Carolina was not wasted, as he discovered what he expects to be a positive “find” in the person of young Bobby Burns.
From the Pittsburgh Dispatch, as printed on the front page of the Moore County News, Carthage, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 13, 1923
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