The Washington times., 1905-09-17
Home Run Hdggerty
In ShOvn1e County
One Mighty SIugger Goes i'm to Help Out
Team in Game for the Champion
ship in Missouri.

An I was. An the very first thing
spied as l come out o. the home clubs
dressin' room with my togs on was Reg
gie Van Rensselaer,, the Alfalfa's best
pitcher. warmin' up in Beltemville un-
form. an Frank Bowerman, o the
n Yorks. was ketchin' him.
] wasn't surprised. I knowed what
these amachoor championship games
was. you know, an 1 seen that the
Beltemville manager had took a leaf out
o J. Frameitup Francis book of advice
about goin' an gettin' good ringers wen
you get EN-
He had Jake Beckiey on first, an
half dozen 'Merican Association boys
in the field. But l cd see they ex-
pectcd their battery 70 do the work.
o. course / said notnin' thatd show
knew Peg I'm a side o. sole leathers
an Reg stared through me as though
his old ketcher, who had teached him
all his tricks. was a hundred miles back
in Alfalfa piayin' bottle pool with Pinch
Hobbs for the drinks.
Wads on Game.
l never knew there was as much
money in the world as was bet on that
game. The sports In each town had
been put wise 20 the fact that big league
talent was going TO help out the home
team, and they brought the greenbacss
around in wheelborrows. | didn't bet
/ for / knew bow good Reg was an.
wanted TO see how he'd make out with
them slugge-s ike Donlin an Chance
/ before l bet we'd win.
Now. l know Reg wasn't afraid o.
/ them himself. / was the only one he
/ feared. He knew 1 cd read hts every
curve like a book. havln' ketched him
| fer four seasons. and so / wasn't SUI
prised when he passed me goin' out 10
| the box in the first innin' an said:
! You owe me ffty on that last game o.
drawn. Lemme fan you this time an
/ III call it twenty-five"
/ An I says, You're on" An he did
1 fan me.
| An the second time come up he says:
You still owe me TWENTY-FIVE on that
/ last game o drawn. Lemme fan you
J this time. an I'll call II twelve an a
! half
An 1 says. You're on" An he did
! fan me again.
/ An the third time I come up he says.
You still owe me twelve an half.
I.ernme fan you this time an we g. call
/ it twenty shillin'-''
An says. You're on" An he d.d
/ fan me three times.
J An the fourth time come up he saws
] We're down to Il irreducible minimum
| O twenty shillin'. Lemme fan you tni.;
time an wen call it square"
( Insulted for Tanning.
An I says: You're on" An he did
| fan me four times.
Now you en- imagine the indIgnities
an yellin' an insults that had been
! heaped on me for strikin' out them
! four times Every time | had gone up to
/ the plate thered been men on the bags
an I could a busted up the game with
/ one little chop out o the inield. Four
/ times had Mike Donlln singled, an
worked his way round to third. just to
stand there an watch me thrash the air
a foot over three o Reggie's fast ones.
"Oh. you big mutt says he, as l fan
ned for the fourth time in the seventh
! IF cd only git at you in quiet place
| with a bat, I'd teach you a bit about
heavy hittin'."
Frank Chance an Bill DahIen swore
up an down I'd sold out an wanted me
fired an Chance put in To ketch. But
! laughed nj EN-
! Wait till we need the runs" SAYS I
Wait ill we need 'em. and you'll see
where I'll be. Just wait
! Nobody had scored then. but In the
eighth Amesy passed a man, an Bow
| erman lined out a hit. Then Beckley
| clOuted a high fly TO j. Frameitup
! Francis in center. for what would a
| been The third out. but he just waved
! his hands at the ball, an then felded
| IL in so slow that old Eagle Eye had
| crossed the plate with two runs ahead
| OF him before the ball got In.
Then IL was up TO US. but Reggie shut
down in our half o the eighth, am we