The Washington times., 1905-07-02
Alas for Heavy Hitters
When Haggerty Appeared
Busted Sure Thing Merchants sbyphenomenal
Drives to Fence Signs and Incidentally
Won House and Lot

WOII a IlOIl
Manager Josh Hapgood busts in on US
IN the Alfalfa House smokin' room one |
night where we was .eliin' stories about !
remarkable games won an lost, an
asks:
did any O. you guys ever hear of the
Big Stick League OF Swat county,
Tex. %
Nobody whooped. Josh set down and
took letter from HIS pocket
Were farnouser. then, than l thought
we was" says he. Here's some one
Lnows us an we don't know them 1t
| must be that the challenge we sent to
| the New York Giants last year has got
| in the papers. IT any rate, here's g
euy named B. Steele Bait who writes
| that he'd like TO have us do our spring
J pra ctisin' at Swattburg. which Is one o
the towns o. the Big Stick circuit he
the manager O. the Swattburgs- We're
goin' down there this spring, because
think We'll be un against good game
/ Nobody liked to butt in while the man
ager had the floor, but when he quit
| says:
| ..Oh, j don't know. In what bloornin
| particular do you think these Swat
burg guys have get it on US
| in battin', If you want TO know,
saws Josh II know it'll bust your Dig,
| good-natured heart to hear 1t. but
there's be-. players down In the Big
+! Stick League who can put 1t all over
| the famous Haggerty in KILN the ball
| .Did any o. EN- ever break ten
shiIlin' ball Into three pieces?'
/ Pinch Hobbs. my old side partner the
! greatest shoFtstop that ever aug up
: daisy cutter, fired this at Josh. like
jap shootin six-inch shell at old hogs
an his ships
"oh the letter f'm Mr.. Bait don't go
4 into particulars like that" says Josh,
"but I don't doubt there's plenty down
i there can do the trick. He says they're
such heavy batters in his circuit that the
d pitchers have all took to the woods
u B'sides Swattburg in the Big Stick
League. there's Slughurst. Hittvilie.
Smashboro, Biffin corners, Larrup Cen
ter an' Lammtown. Plenty o. the Al
sh1gGers run through a weeks play
maxim a home run every time they
come to bat. A man is weak hitter
who can't make two home runs game.
an he gets his release at once.
Mighty Big Lots
1 tenceS UnuSl De dWIu CiOSc Al, say .
Pete Brown.
That's just it," says Josh. That s
what makes me think we got to work.
The fences is all at least half a mile
I'm the home plate. One place-I think
it's Hittville-Batt says. the river runs
ruther close to the grounds and the
left field fence is only eight hundred
Yards out You only get a two-bagger
for putin it over that"
A low W'istle of amazement came
I'm most of the fellers. but Pinch. he
just took chaw, folded his arms an
says:
"W'en 1 see ball broke into three
pieces I'll allow they're In Hays class.
SAYS he It'll then It's the old story
you got to show me-"
Four days later the Alfalfas, bag and
! bats. reached Swattburg. big, red
haired guy met at the station, intro
duced himself as the left fielder Of the
Swattburgs and led us TO our hotel.
> 'Old man Bait, our manager, had &c
y hustle down into the country to look uI
a player says he There come g
t rumor that 8use on some farm about
G an hour ride back was knockin bal
q a mile every time he got up. an with q
e hoe handle for a club. SO the boss
4 thought he'd run down an see if he wa:
worth naiiin'."
After supper the left fielder took Us
[ into the barroom O. the hotel an intro
duced us to a lot o. the first-class citf
zens o. the town who were interested II
y baseball.
Strong in Homers.
il These people look anxious" says he
= an they have cause to be. We ha(
), an exhibition game today with the Slug
; hursts, and our side only got twenty
? four clean home runs In the hull MIN
innin's There was couple o scratche
on losin' the ball. but them don't count
- We got beat, 80 to So. because they
] punched five homers an two triples II
the last inn;n. Our friends are gettin
e. anxious for fear were going to los
l. the championship this year.
We were introduced to a couple o tn
n pitchers on the Swattburgs. OF al
n discouraged. hunted. faded out an tire'
If iookin' guys they was the limit The.
"A looked like they'd been dragged through
l. a knothole day for three hundred an
Ii sixty-five days in the year
y mo use tryin'.'' says one of EN- {
s. Lamp Hymes. Wen Lamp sympathize
Of with him. mo matter how you pas
Is EN- in-slow, fast. up or down. or mixir
'em-they eat EN- alive. IL 1t WASH
Is good money it'd be back TO the Nations
League for mine tomorrow. You hav