The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-27
SOME GOOD BASEBALL YARNS
How Deehany Made Four Home Runs in Game-When
Caught Bird-A Ball That Mailed" by Minneapolis

Chicago was playing New York one day
In 80. The One Hundred and Tenth
Street park OF the New York team had
been ruined by the opening of a street,
and temporarily park had been built on
Staten Island, right on the shore Of the
bay. The center field, In fact, was built
out on the boards over the water, and
the man who fell out of the center field
bleachers had nothing before him but an
ignominious death in the ocean.
With the score a tie in the last inning
Jimmy" Ryan came to bat. He hit the
ball a ponderous swipe and 1t went sail
ing out over the center field fence Into
the vastly deep. i
Ryan's hit and his ensuing home run
were forgotten when one day, month
later, he got letter and small package
by mail from Liverpool. The writer said
he had sailed for Europe the day Of the
ball game, and had been struck by the
ball as he stood on the deck Of the liner
After he got to Liverpool he read an ac-
count Of the game in the New York
papers and concluded that he had found
the missing ball. Jimmy still has the
much travelled sphere to show as proof
OF his holding the record on long hits.
Way back in 's9 Cincinnati was playing
one afternoon with Chris Won der Ahe's
St. Louis aggregation on the st. Louis
grounds. ~.
two out, and needed two runs to win
Cliff Carroll was playing center field for
the St. Louis nine The Cincinnati bat
ter hit a slow grounder to center and Car
roll ran up to gather it in. The situation
was ticklish and Carroll prepared to field
the ball carefully. He squatted down to
meet 1t and got his hands in position.
Just before it reached him the ball hit a
clurnp of dirt and bounded high. Carroll
grabbed for it with both hands, Just as it
| hit him in the chest. @
Somehow in the struggle the ball was
wedged into the pocket Of Carrolrs uni
form shirt. 1t got in there, and Cliff had
| a terrible time trying to get it out. The
runner stopped at second long enough tC
see that something was the matter. Their
he started for third, with Carroll running
fast after him, still digging away at his
shirt pocket.
| From third the runner started home
Carroll still close behind him and still un.
able to separate himself from the ball
The result was that the runner got home
safely and Cincinnati won the game.
! Won der Abe almost had a fit. He fined
| Carroll fifty for putting the ball In his
pocket and made a rule that thereafter nc
pockets Of any kind should be allowed II
the uniforms Of his team.
All the preceding tales are beyond ever
the ideas of doubt but this, which follows
may possibly arouse the suspicious Of Gym
les. It u.s. however, vouched for by Frank
Isbell, who Is now with Comiskey's nine
In 1898 I was pitching for st. Paul,
says Isbell 1--WE were not allowed to pla.
Sunday games inside the corporation linn.
its and a Httle park had been fitted III
outside for Sunday play. The park was
extremely small The field was so short
| that a fence twelve or fifteen feet high
had been built behind it to keep the balls
] from going out Of bounds,
! LAS consequence Of the small field il
was almost impossible to hit ont better
than a two Dagger, for the ball woulc
strike the fence and roll back into the
| inheld.
/ lone Sunday we were playing Mime.
apolis. I was pitching for st. Paul. Min.
neapolis was at bat in the last half OF the
ninth inning and we were two runs ahead
There were two men out and two men or
bases. The next man at bat lined out g
high fly. It struck the high center flele
fence about twelve feet above the ground
and everybody was certain we had the
game won.
But we didn't. The ball struck the
| fence-and stayed there It struck direct
| ~ on the sharp end Of wire nail, ant
before he could get step ladder and
climb up after 1t the Minneapolis nine
had it's three runs In and the game wa.
| over"