The Washington times., 1904-08-14

s,A cold shoulder and couldn't
play third base for the Alfal-
fas. John HapgoOd was addressed BY a
stranger while returning from n game
one day, in which he had lost because
Reggie. whom we had tried in Jim
place, had thrown the ball over Pete
Browns head on each OF his four
chances. The feIler was about Pinch
Hobbs build, with an eye that was
piercing sometimes, but at other times
dull like he was iookin' into his own
brains to see II they was wOrlEin' an
turnin' out new tricks. He struck Josh
for Job an Josh asked him his
name.
-Goufplon Kelly says the little fell
Ter with the funay eyes.
Huh" says Josh. that's n base
ball name-the last OF It. Wot does
the first mean
That's Ne"
'Gonfalon?' says he, slsppin' his
chest. First an foremost. tried an
true. a leader o. grazs-eRters. Gonfalon,
the hunt killer an hit goboler. Pass
along the not drives-he eats EN- alive.
Always playin' the inside game, an
he never gives up. That's ne. That's
what Gonfslon means.
EGcNlN kpDu me . leALhE SaNS JOSiis
but kin you play bali? Kin you guard
the third base?
Like the great an only Collins says
the newcomer. In fact. got d little on
him at that. Him an me ate beans of
the same plate all the while 1 was in
Boston. Course / can play third. Be
sides, II don't make good you don I
need 70 keep me. I'm a play OF pay
guy. My style is goods guaranteed to
satisfy or your money back. Just
gimme a trial
Brains, Not Drawn"
so Josh said he'd try him. and Can
falon was turned loose among US ami
miles to wait TIL fee6in' time. And we
soon found he was A queer fish.
The greatest triumphs o baseball is
those o brains. not Drawn says he.
Science wins in the great national
game. an brute force has to set down
in second place. The big guy who only
knows how TO kill the ball has TO turn
over the laurels TO the little Teller that
chops out the pinch hit. Gonfalon Kelly
believes IN the tricks o the game An
he knows EN- all Inside play is a win
ner an strategy beats dumb luck.
Pinch Hobbs echoed this here senti-
ment an the two got quite chummy
Pinch was scientifically inclined. too.
though he never got it as bad as Con
falon.
mo Great Shakes"
I've found the next day that Con
Talon WIS no great shakes at third base
just ordinary guy that could pick
'em up when they didn't come too fast,
an had pretty good throw. At the
bat he'd play for hunts an bases on
balls an gettin hit He was no free
smasher. but he was tricky We was
playin' the Russetvilles that day an in
the ninth innin with two runs behind.
two out an the bases filed an two
strikes called on Reggie. who was bat
tin. Gonfalon Kelly from the coachin'
line suddenly runs I'D 20 third base an
yells TO Bill Hicks. the RussetvilIe
pitcher.
Hey. stop the game. That balls
got hole In it
"Squealed Loud"
They amt no hole in it An there
wasn't. But Gonfalon he yells.
a" Yes there Is. l can see it. Throw
IL here. An then he give Bill Hicks
a hypnotic look or somethin'. for Bill
threw the ball 20 him an Ganfalon side
stepped an let II roll an kept motionin
for our feliers on the bags 10 run in
All AllNg 0l4r dll 70 NilclIls before lIe
Russetvilles got the ball back. They
squealed loud, but IL went an we got
the game.
Just as good as a homer says
Ganfalon. That little old trick was
just as good as a long double or triple
IL won the game. / sized up that
pitcher for a trustin' RUDE the minute
set eyes on him, an he was
THAT doomed GonfaIon KeIly's stock
hull lot, an the Alfalfa Citizen re-
fsrred TO him as heady.
''Ginfalon's Trick"
IN pass over most o Gonfalon.s
tricks IN tellin' this tale-how h,
turned the sun, with the aid o. "A watcf
crystal. on TO the back o the Sorreltor
ketcher, with a man on third. an MAD,
him give a scream an jump in the air
Just as the pitcher was pitchin' an ycl
'Gosh-all-timber. I'm stabbed" an hav,
q passed bail that let in the run ne wa,
lookin' for; how Plugger Harkins, IN,
champion base stealer O. the league
tried 10 steal third an slid an stUcI
fast on the ground four feet otf'n tn
bag because Gonfalon had sprinklet
rosin al! over the ground around third
an Plugger doubled up IN a buncl
when he struck Il an didn't slide at al
an Kelly got the ball an put him out
how he could palm ball SOS a magl
clan would think he didn't have ii an
he'd ketch feIlers of third; how h,
charged a bali with electricity, chucI
full O IT, an the Wiregrass felIer
couldn't handle il an says 'Wotinen f.
the matter with the ball today anyhow?
an we all had rubber gloves an Civ,
'em the laugh an says they were goin
back fast.
Baseball History.
Wen pass over all that which mad
Gonfaion rise high on the pinnacles 0
fame. an come down 20 the creates
event that the CorndrOppers' Leagu
ever saw. an one which would hav
marked a new stage in baseball histor,
only Tor me. An this is how IL was:
1T was the mOrnin' o Decoration
Day, an we wanted two games from
the HayviIIes 70 get into first place
TWO defeats for them an two wins fol
US would do H. Josh had US all keyed
Up % the Importance o. winnin' out
Pinch an me was just gettin' dressed
when we heard knock on the door an
Glonfsion Kelly walked IN. He had OF
q pair o. blue overAlls an an old jumper
- lrrlr@T