The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-14
OUR PETS" DIDN'T BAT
BUT HOW We fIELDED

DUI I1VW NJ s1bD1D
Honesdale Won on Saturday, but
There Was Glory in the Defeat
Our "Pets" Have the Fielding Hon
ors, but Not at the Bat-Unfair-
ness Of Honesdale Management In
Substituting Miller, of Port Jervis,
and the Rank Injustice Of Umpire
spencer--A Great Day and a Great
Game.
We went to Honesdale on Saturday
a25 of us. We went amidst a babel OF
noise. with pandemonium breaking
loose every two minutes from the time
,the 11.O5 train pulled away from the
city station and struggled up the
mountain past the Last Chance. until
we slowed up in the Chestnut borough,
alighted from the train and awoke
Honesdallans from their enjoyable
siesta.
We came back in the evening with
noise. somewhat reduced in volume, but
as noisy as our cracked and husky
voices would permit. Did we win? NO,
we didn't. That is. we didn't get
'enough--didn't get any-runs but we
got enough of honor out of the defeat
to make us feel not the least bit
ashamed to make as much noise as our
broken voices allowed.
We carried off the fielding honors.
We played game that had no errors,
while the Tigers. plus the colored Port
Jervis tower of strength, had six; six
mind you; whole half-dozen. Write
1t down, lest you forget And, lest you
forget, write it down that we returned
pledging loyalty to our Pets" loyalty
to the team that played against Homes
dale plus Miler-Miller, of Port Jervis
and Umpire Spencer, who, some per-
sons were mean enough to say. doesn't
belong to Honesdale, but to Scranton:
renewing loyalty to the team that
played against this trinity of hard
propositions and put up such game
that we hoisted our purple and white
pennant a few inches higher, but not
so high as it would have gone had we
won. In the evening, we wore our COL
ors next our heart. to attest our de-
VOtion and our loyalty to our team.
"May our team always win! But win
or lose, our team!" That was the spirit
of the faithful followers, and no OPP
portunity after the game, and all Sat-
urday evening, was lost to show this
spirit.
The score everybody knows by this
time; it was: Tigers 4; Crescents. U.
1t looks hard to see the nought after
our Pets" name on the score card,
but consarn it, as Lafe Smith would
say, we weren't able to bat: it was a
case of the hit that never came. Some
how, our PETS" couldn't connect when
q hit meant two runs. Twice we had
three men on bases. Once there was
only one man out; the other time there
was no man out. But nary hit. Hess
ling, the doughty Honesdale pitcher,
pitched the game of his life. When the
three men We're on bases and no man
was out, and the Carbondale delegation
was crazy yelling for homer for a
double, for a single for a sacrifice, for
any old thing to bring in a man, Hess
ling put out three men, one after.
'tOther, on strikes. Fierce luck, wasn't
it?
In few words. then, it might be said
1T was because our pets" didn't hit
the ball that we didn't win. But this
was not the only reason. There We're
contributing causes. First of these,
perhaps. that calls for attention was
the substitution, under false represen-
tations of Miller, the colored Port Jer-
Wis player Miller, be it known, is a
crackerjack player. He is one two or
three classes higher than any player of
either the HOnesdale or Carbondale
teams. He's an old Cuban Giant player;
but he hasn't outlived those days. He
can play yet: like Bosco, he eats 'em
alive. He has an express train that he
sent after balls that sailed anywhere
IN the vicinity of shOrtfield second |
base. third base and short centre and
left field. And he got these balls, too;
got them like Constable Eddie Neary.
when he goes after a prisoner. Why, |
do you know that this man Miller !
picked up grounders that got away |
from either the pitcher and second |
baseman, and after they were fumbled |
he delivered them in time to make |
double plays. He showed clearly that |
he was in company that could not keep |
up to his pace. And it was this man |
whom the Honesdale management sent |
for to Port Jervis, to whom they paid a |
good days wages, and an extra fifty-
cent piece for every good play This is
the man whom Manager Tappan, of
the Crescents, protested against on
Thursday night, when he was informed
that Honesdale had sent for him and
intended to play him, Manager Diet
rich, of Honesdale, that very night said
that 1t was not true that Miller had
been engaged, or that he was going to
play. He assured Mr.. Tappan that
every player on the Honesdale team
would be from Honesdale; no outsiders
would be on the diamond, AS a further