Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-31
THE BALL PLAYER.
Close of the Season on the Diamond
Suggests a Few Stories.

Il read of a pitcher six feet and
half tall being tried out on big league
club the other day." said Home Run
Haggerty. ''The man in the paper said
he had arms like fails, and that when he
pitched his arm reached half way to
the plate before he let go the ball. Then
there's another club that's trying out
boy of 16 behind the bat, and he's max
in good, too. When these minor
leaguers make their bid to break into
fast company and come up for their an
nual try-out you do come across some
mighty queer specimens.
Eve used to give them show in the
Corndroppers' after we'd cinched the
pennant each season. Boys with bright
rosy cheeks from the Apple Belt
league'd come around to see if they
could earn real money and there'd be
youngsters from the colleges who'd
been told they could pitch, or CATCH or
play a bag, and who picked out our
club, the famous old Alfalfas, as the
first rung in the ladder that was to
lead them to undying fame, and so
forth.
Josh Hapgood, as I've often told
you, could pick out a good ball player
as far off as he could see one. He'd
separate the grain from the chaff, and
the youngsters he tried out in the fall
he KEEP in the spring, if they were good
enough for us, or sold 'em to some club
that needed material. And l never
knew him to get fooled but once.
Zone day a bright. intelligent looking
fnII TO 1.<N,,k
playing ball and the old man picked
him up right away. The newcomer
gave his name as Perry Prellenback.
and said he hailed from Nebraska.
Josh put him out in left field and he
hadn't made two jumps there before
we knew he was the real goods.
He was a quiet, unassuming young
chap. both on and off the field, but his
whole being was set on playing ball.
He was well put up. just heavy enough
to make him reasonably hard hitter,
and yet not enough to make him slow
on his feet. He was just a bunch O.
muscle, and he had an arm like piston
rod. He could stand in the shadow of
the fence in the left field and line them
into my mitt at the plate nine times
out of nine without moving an inch.
When he started after ball, no matter
how far the run was or how fast the
ball was going. he always got it.
Fences, stones, trees, foul flags or any,
thing else never bothered him. The
first game he played with us he ran in
to the fence so hard he took off four
boards. but he got the drive he was af-
ter, and grand hand from the crowd.
He'd come in and cover third base one
minute and pull down fly in deep left
center the next. The ground he took
care of was enormous, and the longer
he played the bluer it looked for Tar
Paper Hennessy, whose place he was
filling and who was warming the
bench.
Perry could bat a bit, too and ran
bases well, and never quit playing till
the last man was out in the last inning.
He had the whole town of Alfalfa with
him in a week.
But. as I said, he was queer. He
never talked to anyone much, going to
his room at the hotel when the game
was over each day and staying there
till supper time, and then right back
after supper till bedtime. Josh never
had to watch him to keep him from
going out for nights run. He didn't
know the deuce of spades from the
jack of diamonds; couldn't a told the
eight ball from piece of blue chalk.
and wouldn't a known bowling aIlev
if he had met one on the street. Final.
ly Billings, who roomed with him re-
ported that he read a chapter in the
Bible every night before going to he'd
and always knelt down and said his
prayers before he blew the light ont
and on that account the fellows got to
calling him 'Pious Perry and we got to
making book as to how long I'd be be-
fore he was chewin tobacker and which
game he'd get of. his first cuss word in
and whether he'd start out smoking
cigarettes or pipe.
"Josh Haywood was tickled to death
over his find. and gave the other man