Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-04-30
HOWERUN
HAGGERTY
TeIIs AbOut the Pitcher WAC Was Stretched

anu Tue pace Wutle ney re UeQ pUA
gether is right under the second but
ton Of his shirt. You hit that Il gooa
welt and what will happenc Tnee
muscles will be relaxed. released. then
tension of that radial center win snapa
and his extremities win again regain
their normal proportions and then her
can't pitch"
There you are again" said L &c
you talk plain ball instead O. throwing
1 n your Greek and Latin l could gee
wise, l think l see what you e
But what's the matter with getttn' i'm
a scrap with him and handing him q
good one with YOU fist? That'd dn
the trick"
"Yes. but it'd be too brutal, too
cold-blooded. You're just the william
that'd do 1t. But | want II to seem
accidental. Therefore you got to give
him a hot liner there. BE scientific
above all things, When you're play
ing ball don't mix up in pugilismr
That's Pinch all over. He's got
to do things artistic. So l said Td
try, and Pete Brown, who's good at
placing 'em, was put on and he safG
he'd try. And we entered the game
with a ray of hope peeking through
the dark clouds where there had been
none before.
In the first inning I put one over
his shoulder that made him gasp, but
the second baseman got II. Pete hit
him on the shins and was thrown out
at first. Pinch fouled out.
The second time the three Of us
came up l batted one down that
knocked his cap off and got hrst ON
Il. Pete few out to center, getting
hisstoo high Pinch. who bats ahead
OF me, had grounded to short.
The third time Pinch struck out, I
flied to short and Pete hit him on the.
shoulder. They had scored one run
on us up TO the ninth. and in that in
ming we blanked 'em after they'd filed
the bags, on a rafting double play by
Jimmy Harrison and Brown.
When Pinch went up to the bat i'm
the ninth | could see he duly recog.
nized the fact that Il was our last
chance.
"One strike!" A beauty went over
the pan and he never moved. Josh
Hapgood grunted. / nuged Pete and
says:
Hes waitin' for the right one.
Watch him" Pete nodded. We both
knew Pinch.
Strike two!" Another beauty. The
Hayville part OF the audience was
whooping It up for fair.
Club Pudgely gyrated and convo-
luted. Straight as an arrow the third
ball came up, and right over. We
saw Pinch raise his shoulders. dig
deep with his spikes, and then no
swung. There was an awful crash as
the ball hit the bat, a white streak
as II shot straight back to the pitcher.
and then a smashing noise. a crack
ling sound and a little snap. Pinch
was speeding for first, The bali was
rolling around nea the box.
Club Pudgely wa unstretchedl
There, In the twinkllng OF an eye.
where he had been long and lanky
and lean, he was snapped back to his
old pudgy self. The fat that had
been stretched out on those long at
tenua.ed limbs. had rolled up. His
pants hung most TO his heels. his
sleeves down over his hands. His
belt had burst and his stockings
were so tight they'd like 10 burst. too.
But there was the same fat lollypop
pitcher with the short arms and cho-
rus girl legs we had all known so
well.
Pinch was on sscond by the time
Club had picked up the ball The
Hayvilles started 10 run in. but he
waved 'em back. They could see the
change. but he couldn't. He tied, up
his belt. raised tho ball over his head.
tried to gyrate. and ended II by put
ting up an airy little noater that I
Just hrmly planted against the right
field fence, and Pinch and l sailed IN
and won the game, the pennant and
everything else.
That ended Club. Scientific Peleg
Rodney said he wouldn't have him
stretched again II ne was going TO be
-. A.
sh%ortstop with pink hair unsiretch
him. and no gave him his papers.
So he Ell the snowballs that winter,
and not the alfalfas.
GEORGE WILLIAM DALEY.