The sun., 1900-11-19
A FAST BALL PLAYER
HE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE PLAYED
WITH THE RoARERS.

Steve Speed, Who Could Beat His
own Throw to First and who Could
Get Behind the Plate In Time to
Catch His own Pitching.
"The fastest base runner / ever saw
said the fat ex-mascot of the Lightfcct
Lilies in comparing baseball Of the
present with that of the old days, was
little Sammie Salmon of the Lilies But
the fastest base runner / ever heard Of
was, or wasn't, as the case may have
been, Steve Speed, who played, or who
didn't play, | don't know which, with
the Ringtail ItoarerS. At any rate.
whether he ever played with the Roar
ers or not, lie was certainly the fastest
that ever came over the crossways.
You don't understand? VOL, I'll tell
you all about him.
zone afternoon about n month before
the last game we ever played with the
Ringtail Roarers the boys were all sit
ting round i'll the pQstoiiice discussing
our chances for the biz contest. Cap
tain Slugger Burrows, who was tend
ing postofiice that day, was over in the
corner reading the bah news in a Jones
County Courier that had accidentally
slipped its wrapper before delivery.
Suddenly he clutchcd the paper tight
ly and sprang to his fcot. For heavens
sake, boys, listen TO this: We have it
from q high source he began to read
breathlessly, that the Roarers have
unearthed a phenomenal base runner,
| with whose services they feel confident
| of wrestling the Jones county laurels
| from the erstwhile invincible Lightfoot
| Lilies. The newcomers name is Steve
Speed. His extraordinary ability was
| first discovered while he was in the
box one day last week. lie stopped an
| easy gl'oundcr and tossed it over tc
first to catch the runner. The ball had
no sooner left his hand than, TO his hor
ror, he discovered that first was uncov
cred Without moments hesitation
lie made Il dive for the bag and sEc
ceeded in reaching it Just in time L
catch the ball that lie had thrown hu
an instant before, thereby scoring I
put out and m assist nnassisted.'
"BoyS, said tile SluSS,r, crunplln:
the paper suvagely in mis- fists, TO lii,
park with YOU. Practice begiRs 4
once. Hustle.
well, sir, that week we pHctcrd
In tile morning the boys would all *
down 10 The station and race tLe trains
as they steamed out of town. After
Moons they'd case Up biz and Just in
dulgc in short spirits paced by tht
town trolley car .it night the dailN
practice would conclude With Il biisl
cross country run around tile town
ship. The work began 70 show Al
the end Of the week we began 70 have
some hopes Of beating the i.aarers att
or all. .Nnd tien came i second copA
of The Courier knocking Our hopes
higher than tnNeS.
".Hhe wonderful baseball feat per
formed BY stove Speed, the article
said, which vas published exclusively
by The Jones County Courier, has been
cclipscd hN an even more astonishing
performance by the same player. We
have ii from lie same high source from
which We obtained our former news
that Speed has now become so pr0li
cicnt in running that he is able tC
pitch tho bah from the box and By m
incredibly quick start reach the plate
in time TO catch The ball behind thr
bat. The R0nrers have released theil
catcher. Wouldn't that hasten youl
pulse? II did ours.
"And the next weeks accounts We're
even worse. The Courier cot straight
from their own private high source
that this guy Speed Was even better
than the week before. lie WAS now SC
super ut the game that he not only ran
down behind the plate and caught tht
balls that lie pitched, but in case thS
batter knocked a fly he larted out il
the field and caught it himself. The
Roarcrs had, according TO The Courier
released their whole ouiiCld When
we read that. Bull Thompson wanted tc
cancel the game, but the Sltggrl
wouldn't hear Of ii. The Lishtf0ni
Lilies he said, may he made 10 look
like tarhcel thstleS hut we won't
wither before we're picked.
''Whcn the big game finally did comt
off, the Ronrers certainly had us on Tho
run. For three innings they piled III
runs almost at will. But then We be
gan 10 get wise. Wherc was this fasi
running phenom? Cy Priest was still
in the pitchers box. and the whole out
field seemed TO be in their usual places
Perhaps he WAS sick. The thought
gave us courage. and we hegan 10 pick
up hit You all know how we finally
pulled the game ont OF the fire in the
last half Of the tenth. That's mat
ter Of history now Well after II was
over the Slugger went MP 10 Cy Priest
Say he asked. where's that hot
. base runner OF yours, CyY
".you mean Steve Spccdr replied
Cy, with funny look in his eye. 'oh
. we couldn't pay the salary he demand