The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-07-10

Il" HE right fielder on one of the
National League mines ran up
4 alongside the bleacher fence
the other day and picked line drive
right OF the heads OF the people in the
seats-had TO reach away over the fence.
and only got It with one hand, and all
that The crowd gave him great hand
and the papers the next day was full Of
IL. | amt sayin' that it wasn't nice
catch-prOb'ly IL was. But / do say that
the crowd of outfielders we used to have
b the Corndroppers' circuit wouldn't a
thought anything about making a catch
like that. In the big. well kept grounds
OF the present day the leather hunters
don't have the chance TO make the spec
tacular plays that used TO liven things
up out in Alfalfa an Russetville an
Hayviile an Wiregrass. an them towns.
Nowadays the hun ball field is like
billiard table, but out there they used
to skin the sod of the diamond and
keep that in shape. and the Outielders
had to get along as best they could-a
couple o. blackberry bushes or wood
chuck holes more or less didn't make no
difference.
Speedy Pint Williams.
LAS I was sayin'. we had a speedy
bunch in the outfeld on the Corndrop-
pers. and the speediest Of EN- all was
Pint Billings. the Alfalfa's right fielder.
He was littIer'n Tommy Leach, an wen
he got out in deep right with a couple
o. elderberry bushes an burdocks around
him. all you could see was his cap. But
let a drive go in his direction an he
was with it from the tap of the hat, and
delivered the goods He WIS the best
hoe in, he IL, ~ a
than ordinarily good batter.
And 1t was a good thing that Bill
lings was that champion ground coverer,
for the season the schemers broke loose
in the Corndroppers League. tryin' TO
beat US out OF our fourth straight pen
nant, we needed man like him.
You see, Peleg Rodney heard of Tim
McGinnIs' black eagle, witch was train
ed 10 nip my home-run drives on the
wing an carry EN- back 20 the inheld
and drop EN- and let me be lxetched out;
and when he heard how Reggie Van
Rensselaer, and Pinch Hobbs put glue on
A fake ball and I batted ii I'D and the
bird got stuck TO the ball and couldn't |
drop it. and got mad and few away, |
PeIsg he just shook his head hard and |
says:
Always Wrong.
ne. He amt never on the right side /
, D. nuthin' Here ne is a curtailin the |
production o home runs. That amt /
right. nohow. If he had the real inter /
>sts OF the great national game o /
baseball at heart he'd invent some /
sCheme 10 make home runs an three |
oaggers easier instead o. harder to |
get That's what 1 shin do. Your /
Urcle Peleg Rodney amt no enemy |
% production. III fix it so every I
game in HayviHe this seasonal be a 1
,Our-beggeT fest: but who'll scare the /
our baggeres2 All. that's a boss of /
incther color. That's another story
An then he'd wink an trot down I
@ the wocdshed hack o. Hayville /
House and be gone half day. RumoT
lad 1t that there was big kangaroo
n there't he was trainin' 10 be the /
eague's champeen base stealer. But II
ley er PANIED out What he rely. did
aave in there the bunch Of US found out
alter.
Backed Into a Swamp.
The Hayvine ball ground was on the
outskirts OF the town and backed into
4 swamp. The swamp run so close in
hat Il made the right field fence easy
o reach from the plate, and 1t wasn't
10 trick at all 20 boom a high fly out 4
here into the dogwood for a homer.
IF late, though. some O. the tcp-notch
ielders in the league follerin' Billings
cad, had taken to jumpin' the rail
'ence-there was no need of a high
ence, as no kids ever tried to butt in
through the swamp-goin' over that
ence an tearsn' through the muck an
weeds an poison ivy an ketchin' them
nigh flies. It was more spectacular
,lay than pickin' drives off'n the bleach
rs, I tell you. and Peleg Rodney had
,een known to cuss more than once /
when 1t had been worked against him
m robbed his sluggers Of sure homers
well. the Hayyyflle's first opponents
n their home grounds that year was
he Wiregrass outfit. For a rishtfelder
hey had Hiram Hicks, a broad
houldered farmer boy, who was playin'
IS first seaSOn IN fast company. and
practice he jumped the ran fence
ouple O. times just to see II he could
II. and got all ready for an after
DON O. stunts in the night garden that
'ould make the Hicks put-out column
the papers the next day look i'm
tense.
Left-Hand Bangor.
We'll. as luck would have It. the very
rst batter was a left-hander and he
irned on the ball an banged il well
yer Hiram's head and due 10 tumble
ist over the fence in the swamp ooze.
Iran legged 1t back for the top rail O
Re fence, follerin the ban out the cor :
sr OF his eye as he ran. and nc rose {
the air like a steeplechaser takin'
ie Liverpool All hands watched
-eathless 10 see him splash gracefully (
own in the mud and collar the fly, {
hen. just as he was right in the high
II point in his leap ne suddenly stuck
Is foot down ketched himself, half I
smbled and half Jumped backwards TO
Re ground, and came rGnnin' twenty or
dirty yards back into the field Ike |
art hound. wriugin' his hands. rolIin
8 eyes and maxim a sobbin noise. The
all went down 'ke-swashr and the |
awhile hitter got a home run.
The Wiregrass captain came a lopin
. and angrily asked Hiram what ne
as runnin' from.
'Runnin'?' says Hiram. through his ;
TBS. I Amt runnin'-I'm hyin.' I'm
I'd O. parade in a gilded cage with !
oil "a riot feathers an q Mink ton. | !