The Globe-republican., 1902-08-14
Famous Fat and Lean Man
Contest Was Corker.
sWELTERlNG HOT WEATHER
And Opposing skill Was Too
Much for the Fats to
Battle against.

In an egg-shaped arena formed by
myriads of old men, young men, women
and children, carriages, baby cabs, horses,
and dogs, Billy Curry's remnants met
the nine champion heavyweight ball
players of Dodge City Friday afternoon.
The game resulted in a victory for the
Leans The score was IL to 9. The
contest was worth seeing. The damon
was housed in by human wall and
while the breeze was shut out the rays o f
the sun poured in until the grease sizzled
on the faces of the fat men aud dropped
off upon the ground until the dust was
pasted to the earth as we'll as though the
diamond had been worked with an oil
sprayer. The game opened with the fat
men at the bat. French was in the box
for the leans. He took the ball in his
right hand and straigtening up to his full
height. held the sphere so high in the air
that it looked no larger than a sugar
coated pill. Then his left paw went up
after it and as he brought it down his ell
bow gave a quick hitch and his hand and
the ball cut II zig-zag figure eight in the
atmosphere. AT the same time the upper
portion OF his body swayed backward
and then shot forward with a snap and
he relaxed his grip on the ball. Grobety
was at bat and Billy Curry was behind
the plate, standing in the position of a
small boy getting ready to dive head first
into "A swimming pond. That was the
start off, but in spite of the impression
made by the Leans battery the fat men
seemed to be batting within the orbit of
the ball and Grobety, Churchill, Crutch-
ley, Ragland and Todd all floundered
around and paid a brief visit to the base
men and the inning closed amid lusty
cheers. with five runs credited to the
heavy weights.
The leans came to bat and the fat men
took their field positions. Pitcher
Churchill stood IN the box and toyed
with the ball like a professional. He
would lay it up in the air on sunbeam
with one hand, then reach up and get it
with the other. He handled the sphere
like juggler. Catcher Grobety, with
his attendants, was carefully adjusting
the pneumatic chest-protector- The
mute device seemed conscious of the re-
sponsibility being thrown upon it. 1t
was tackling the biggest job of protecting
it had ever gone against. Billy Curry
went to bat. Billy aud the bat would
have looked like twins if the bat had
worn a uniform, but it didn't and the
pitcher had no trouble in deciding as to
which was the batter and which was the
bat. The battery did nice work but the
slender batters seemed to be onto their
lob and smashed the ball out with
markable regularity. The inning closed
with the score to in favor of the heavy
weights. In the second inning the Fats
failed to score and the Leans made three
runs, landing them one ahead After
that the Leans had the best of it, but if
the same teams we're to play on a cool
day, the result might be different. In
spite of the fact that they were defeated,
Dodge City will not be afraid to back its
ssfat'' team against the fat men of any
town in the state.
The teams played in the following po
sitions: Leans-Curry, catcher; French,
pitcher; Abbot, first base: Coolidge, Sec
ond base; Waring, third base; Reynolds,
left field; Swinehart, center field; Chap
man, right field; Rath, short stop. Cool
idge, Waring, Reynolds and Swinehart
are old time ball players. and in fact the
Leans had good team ali around. Cur
ry got his hand hurt at the start of the
game and Warning caught after that
The Fats positions were: Grobety,
catcher; Churchill, pitcher; Crutchley,
short stop; Ragland, first base; Todd,
second base; Strange. third base; Wilber-
ding, left field; Gingrich, center field !;
Robinson, right field Paul Henkel, was
unable to leave his office for the the game
and possibly this was the cause of his fat
teams defeat. Paul was in the parade
however, and his hoochee- coochee dance
there was responsible for drawing large
crowd to the park.
T. j. Ovler and Pat Malone Were the
.sempires', of the game and both got
through the ordeal without getting into
any serious trouble.
The ladies of the Civic Improvement
/. Club who had the sale of the game took
in something over SO.