The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-05
BLIND MAN AT
BASEBALL GAME
Hadley Mass, Man Depends on
.sstze@ I. 81. the Fans for the {" !. rs
5a..aa asi1.f Tips. - e3&zzt ~ $

(.
r. = | rs the Pans for the 80 ,Tte]
s,a. s,sat.& Tips, = go. .&zt @,f I
@ >!-- -. ~ - 4
Hadley, Mass, Nov. clarence
Hawkes. Of this city, the writer and
lecturer on nature subjects, is totally
games. He gives this account of how
he is able to follow the game:
For one who is totally: blind to say
that he has been to see a game Of base
ball sounds like contradiction Of
| terms, yet there is no one in the grand
stand Or on the. bleachers who sees
mer afternoon -. St'7-5 y
" do not. see as much of the side
play as the others, but from the moment
the umpire !p calls .P Play ball, and the
! first ball is shot over the plate, untiLthe
i last man is out, I followed every play
that ls made with a :miElteness that
otten makes my companion for the aft
| Old Nick is not standing at my. elbow
prompting me, just as he did Faust in
the duel with Valentine. But my meth,
DDS: are all legitimate and of the earth
! earthly. TT :, :. -. =,
II always try to secure such seat
| that the diamond will be geometrical
! figure before me, and not on skew.
Then l can keep the players and theig
positions from becoming confused. OPP
behind the home plate. are my favorite
positions. ~ - st''"1S .-
~ :" When I am behind the plate, the
4 catcher, pitcher, second baseman and
ceEter fielder are directly in front [of
me, each little further off than, the
last, and the first ,baseman> and right
fielder are to my right, and the third
baseman, ss.horttsstto9p and left fielder are
shape and to my. liking. II can then tel tell
most Of the plays as they are made by
noticing in what part Of the field they
are made and how far away the sound
Of the sspat of the sphere Is from me.
Occasionally it is hard, to tell whether
certain play is made by the short
stop or second 'baseman; but there is
usuallyssome clue that makes it clear.
0fsWhen. the: umpire calls tplay ball'
my2,nervess are keyed to the highest
pitch and my ears strained to- catch the
slightest sound: saan y. Es~4<& = ~.
I9 tohe ball. criescthe umpire. That
! was a; wide tone, of course, and lis easy
enough aTnoes OF ttoIt9 Ae aHaat II:
7 * Strike, shouts !the umpire. 2%0"hst9
- Now /, amnpuzzle1. Was it called
upon him orafhdllhe lstrikea and, 1nissq
A small. boy near clears up all doubt
Il by muttering disgustedly: sStanh'there
like aoWoodens man and let him cali
. strike ION him! I'D have struck atatGat.
4 sH'5Fhe' bat cracks like the ~reportb ST
a.. rife, and the fraction of a second
later there is the clear cut spat Of the
. ball on gloved hand. The two sounds
q remind me of the two shots in Captain
+ | JACK Crawford's famous double, thev
: m -0In fncpo 'sISSTs
; umpire: e =" -
! This is another easy one. It was
= = ! right in the pitcher s, hand. .,.
y Another man steps to the plate and
the fun goes on. Then there is a dul]
= tthud, shouts Of delight from the small
gs g9oys, and; and the umpire e. cries, Dead ball
- :, imne diately picture thes playe, H5ll,;7e
!, / rubbing his ribs as he goes. ....' SS ~ y.
! 10 down with his arm. 'S -. -. -
..''Spat goes the ball on mitt at nv
;. night: clio! the pitcher is trying .tc
= I catch the runner off first. This part Of
l the fun [ do not care for, so I am glaG
e when the ball is shot over the plate
again; l-. -.
T., There Is a scampering of feet, anC
the thud of the ball in the second base
;sl man 8 hands, but the umpire has moth
! ing to say on the subject,.s the run
l ner IS safe at SECONDHAND the play goe.
: tells the runner to get way off anl
- another .admonishes him to be careful
: again the bat cracks; and there il
0 much longer interval before the bal
l. strikes than before. There is a spa
Q away out in Ecenterfield, az good run
!, Enlng catch; !; and d spat, against second
q | a double. The runner had thought tn,
IA hit safe and started for, third. = Z
gi 1.-Two gone--a goose egg this time.
s The next man up hits the first bal
g pitched and / hear it ricocheting :alons
the diamond. It lis nip and tuck; be
It tween the ball and the runner to first
a ner is out. =. -
e So the fun goes OH. OCCASIONAL,
= there is a lightning play that mystife
o me, but the small boy usually sets M
h right. A baseball audience cannot bu
d express its applause or disgust as tn
j. game proceeds, so before the beginnin,
!. without having any Of them consciou
= Of the fact. ~ #.t#S* t>*<:%<f a',: ~
\ Sometimes, when T. have been ,un
s able to- get a seat in the grandstand
= and am occupying a bleaeher opposit
q q third, little eyesight would you'd be mos q,
e viciously, and I feel start among tn
r spectators about me and a cry Of Loo
out! from "a dozen lips. s,iEa
% why should Lodges / am as likel
it to dodge the wrong way as the right
d So simply put both hands over tha
n part of my Uranium from which maya
n zine articles and books are supposed t
proceed and wonder vaguely what
! would feel like to, be shot thru my ter
= inch shell.
,r 81 am usually tired when the las
le man is out, but no small boy on tn
% bleachers feels better paid for comm
"a than | de. I
n $50, you see,s after sall, my smetho
= of seeing q baseball game is very sin
i, pie and depends largely upon my max
. ing tho most of all II hear and Of ssee
2 ing all that others do about me wit
their own eyes, without as much a
:, saying by your leave = .tTs l$s4
=, ..~~~~~.~es~~r4~-~~
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