The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-24
BLIND BASEBALL CRANK.
His Ears Tell Him How the Game Il
G0ing-YeIls s'DOwn i'm Front"
Minneapolis Journal.

Minneapolis Journal.
He never saw a game of baseball in his
life. But if there Is any other fan that
can yell louder than / cam" says James
nue.. 1T there's anybody that can lose more
bets on the home nine. just trot 'em out
The circumstance that Mr.. Judge has
been totally blind for forty years did not
boy to enjoy the first game of the season
at the Minneapolis grounds last Friday.
It did not keep him away from the game
game this year." he says. 81 seldom allow
my business to interfere when there's some
thing doin' at Nicolett Park or Mime
haha."
Yet Mr.. Judge has business enough-busi-
ness both profitable and important He is
master steamfitter. succeeful contract
or, a mechanical inventor OF pronounced
ability. The oldest master steamfitter in
the State, II not in the country, he boasts
that he has always been a master filter.
always boss" never journeyman nor
lone of our Milwaukee steamfitters," ex-
planned Mr.. Judge, introduced me to the
ball players. Then they got to visiting my
] s'pose. Anyhow. / got acquainted there
with Bennett, the great Detroit catcher.
and with Ward, that used TO do some magic
pitching for the old GAINESVILLE Mutuals.
This was about 1876 and II. No. hadn't
ever seen game Of ball before lost my
eyesight. The game was played little by
d l.
never paid any attention TO IT.
But beginning about twenty-eight years
ago, caught on to all the fine points. Soon
/ was buying season tickets and betting
money on my friends. / had great luck,
too. Once / pulled off seven combinations
in pool bets for seven consecutive days.
Il never had so much fun in my life as
when the Detroit and St Louis mines used
to put up their hot games in the old Ma
tional League at Milwaukee, Chicago and
Detroit, about 1883 and "a.
II usually try to get seat in the grand
three or four seats back. / don't really
care whether the woman before me has a
big hat, though l sometimes catch myself
bowling Down In 'front.' Whoever is with
me reads over once the batting list on each
side After that / can tell whose turn at
the bat 1t is without looking at the pro-
gramme. And / can generally make out a
foul from a fair ball by the way the ball
sounds against the bat. If | can hear the
umpire call the balls and strikes / can
follow the game easy enough, only have
10 have somebody tell me the result of the
runs. But know pretty near what to ex-
pect. When Wilmot hits the leather, for in
stance, / know he's going to drive IL. / also
know that he won't hit 1t once in ten
times"
This rosy-cheeked, smiling defer of fate
finds Waltonian joy in fishing. Eyes. in
Decd he says, 81 can beat nickel plated
scale weighing what / catch, and / can
tell the different sorts of fish every time
by the way they nibble and pull.
Mr.. Judge smokes cigars with great sat
isfaction. And he has colored a fine nicer
schaum. He learned to smoke several years
whatever" he declared, I'm the old story
that you have to see the smoke or the
blaze to enjoy cigar. Might as we'll say
that nobody cares for kiss in the dark,''