The Washington times., 1904-08-28

ut WAS rcadin q newspaper &C
count Of a ball game the other
i day. an a long an crowded train
Of recoIlections was started
whoopin' it up by this here sentence:
.Slugger Blinkens ended all hopes Of
winning by hitting into a double play
Just that No more, no less. I dun
no this here slugger Blinkins man. an
don't care If he never made a safe hit
in his life. but the manner OF his undo
ing, as Reggie says. is what interests
me. He hit into a double play.
And yet that amt remarkable. It's
bein' done day I'm an day out, / s'pose,
I'm all the games in all the leagues o
this broad land. A stinEin drive into
the infeld got scooped up, passed 10 an
other man on another bag. an II was all
over-applause an back slappin' for one
crowd an cusses an sass for the other
as the crowd walks out. an the COM
bined pity an cusses O. the hull mob for
the poor guy who walks TO the dressin'
room with his head down after hittin'
into double play Wen he tried his best.
Some Recollections.
'',rhe surgin' train O. recouections that
that sentence aroused is what makes
me talk like this. an the start Of the
hull business brings me back, TO one
mornin' on the porch Of the Alfalfa
House. 1 was smokin' an thinlin'
when Josh Hapgood come out an says,
Peter
Now when Josh calls me Peter
know there's squalls comm. an I knew
what IT was about In the game tire
day before had got up with a man on
third in the ninth inning, an with two
gone. an had tried for a homer an had
been careless an hit under the ball an
the leftfielder had ketched il after a
run. That was what he wanted to talk
to me about So he says. Peter
To Peter.
AN 1 says. Yes sir
" Peter says he. hereafter wen
you git up in the ninth with two men
down an a man on third an a run
needed TO tie. I don't want any moro
O. your ball KILN feats.' says he. I
want you to line her out o. the infield
just enough to git that man home an
YOU safe on first. says he an then III
worry about gittin' the winnin' run. III
do the worryin' about that says ne
But no more o the spectacular. You
kin try for homers Wen the score amt
close says he. but for heavens sake.
just line EN- out enough to git your
man home when we need a single run
'Protestin' wouldn't a-dOne any good
with Josh; he's so headstrong; so said
never a word an determined TO line
EN- out after that all the time-not only
in the ninth inning. but all the time
an see how he liked IT,
The pitcher against us the next day
was Red Mccormick an 1 caught the
first ball he pitched on the end o. the
bat an sent it right back at him.
Breaking Up Things.
He didn't have time 20 dodge-iust
sort O shrunk. with the scaredest look
on his mug you ever see-an' the ball
plowed through his beautiful auburn
locks an took half OF 'em with It. II
left him with a furrow in his hair. an
when the skin healed up It was always
bald.
The next dap 1 knocked two fingers
of a good shortstop who put his hands
up for a drive. an the next day a Ter
rife grounder I drove out took a rair
o shoes an a big toe of OF Bill Haight.
the Sorreltons' third baseman- I hit
Steve Harris. o. the Russetvilles. over
the heart with a drive. an he was un-
conscious for two days, an st unnerved
noon-somethin' I'd never been known 70
30 before.
Another thing. The Alfalfa ball
grounds diamond had always been nice.
shaver turf. just like a cushion But
after I'd been sendin' them rife shots
out for a few days there come long.
brown lines. through Il where the ball
had burned the grass on; an II got so
bad after a week that they had to
skin the diamond, and then my drives
roughened II I'D SO IL looked like "A plOw-
cd field. an the tnheIders on both sides
kicked cause IL made 'em make errors.
But IL wasn't always fun for us 10
watch the other side git the hard knocks
from my raps. One day Pinch Hobbs
was on first an me I'd, an We needed
the run. an Josh says; Remember, now.
keep EN- low an Pinch got a running
start. an ] damned the first ball. II
near telescoped the pitcher. an the next
minit-r-r-r-ripi 1t had tore second base
from its moorings an was madly sailin'
out into center with tt. The centerfieldeI
couldn't git the ball out the bag. an
Pich an ] ran all the way home And
then there came a shock The umpire
called US both out for not touchin' see
ond base,
Josh Shorts.
Hold on" says Josh. sprintin' for
The umpire. FOR that decision meant the
game - ms. How IN this here Twin
world do YOU expect them players o.
mine 10 tech second when it's plas-
tered on To the ground out in center
ieldZ What would you a said t. they
had run out an touched Inc bag an
then went on 10 third from ther? Eh2
says ne.
u a call 'em out for runnin' out o.
line o. base says the umpire
Josh snorted Good heavens 10
gosh an back again.. says he Talk
about gOin down 20 Jericho an faIlin'
among thieves says he. This here IS
the worst open an smut game ! ever
see. says he. where do we come I'm.
says ne. ON a decision ike that2 We
gin man 10 first; We have man soak
the ban fer at least a o-bagger, an
you call EN- both out
His Decision.
Can't help IT, says the umpire Ny
decisions right and II goes. What you
want 20 70 is 30 tell Haggerty not to
drive EN- on the ground or liners any