The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-18
BLIND MAN AT A BALL GAME.
CLARENCE HAWKES. TELLS HOW
HE FOLLOWS THE PLAY.
Though Totally Blind. lie is Able to Keep
Track OF what Is Going Or, by Ills
sense OF Hearing--He Enjoys tho
Game and Shares In the Excit en- ent


writer and lecturer on nature subjects Ia
totally blind. yet is fond Of attending base
ball games. lie 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 game OF baseball
sounds like a contradiction OF terms, yet
there is no ore in the grand stand or on the
| bleachers who sees more OF the game than
l do of summer afternoon,
Il do not see as much of the side play
as the others, but from the moment the
umpire calls Play ball and the first ball
is shot over the plate, until the last man Is
out, follow every play that is made with
minuteness that often makes my COM
panion for the afternoon feel bit creepy
and wonder If the Old Nick is not standing
at my elbow prompting me- just as he did
Faust in the duel with Valentine. But
my methods are all legitimate and Of the
earth earthly
Il always try to secure such seat that
the diamond will be geomctrcal figure
before me, and not on skew. Then /
can keep the players and their positions
from teccming confused. CrTosite first
and third bases and directly behind the
home plate are my favorite positions.
when am behind the plate, the catcher,
pitcher. second haseman, and centre field
are directly in front Of me, each a little
further off than the last, and the first base
man and right fielder are to my right, and
the third baseman, shortstop and left
fielder are to my left. This makes things
shipshape and to my liking. l can then
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 spat of the sphere is from me. Occa-
sionally it is hard to tell whether a certain
play is made by the shortstop or second
baseman but there is usually some clue
that makes it clear.
when the umpire calls play ball. my
nerves are keyed to the highest pitch, and
my ears strained to catch the slightest
sound.
"One Eall'. cries the umpire. That was
wide one, of course, and is easy enough
-Strike,' shouts the umpire.
Now | am puzzled. Was it called upon
him, or did he strike and miss? snail
boy near clears up all doubt by muttering.
disgustedly, Stand there like a wooden
man and let him call strike on him! I'd
have struck at that
"The lat cracks like the report Of rife,
and the fraction of second later there
! is the clear cut spat Of the ball on Clio we'd
| hand The two sounds remind me Of the
two shots in Capt Jack Crawford's famous
doul le they come so close together. OUT
cries the umpire.
This is another easy one. 1t was right
in the pitchers hand.
Another man steps to the plate, and
the fun goes on. Then there is dull thud,
shouts Of delight from the small boys,
and the umpire cries, Dead hail. Take
your tase'
Il Immediately picture the player either
lmping to the initial Rag or rubbing his
ribs as he goes.
"'Now get way off, cried the coach.
Go down with his ARM
"Spat goes the lall on nit at my right.
Hcllpl the pitcher is trying to catch the
runner off first. This part Of the fun |
do not care for, 50 l am glad when the hal
is shot over the plate again.
There is scamperng of feet, and the
thud Of the hall in the second fAseman's
hands, hut the umpire has nothing to say
on the SUI ioct, the runner is safe at
second, and the play goes on across the
plate. while enc coach tells the runner to
get way off and another admonishes him
to he careful
Again the bat cracks and there is a
than before. There is a spat away out
in centerfed. good running catch, and a
spat against second, double. The run
ner had thought the hit safe and had started
for third
Two gone--a goose egg this time.
The next man up hits out the first ball
pitched and hear it ricocheting along the
diamond. 1t is nip and tuck between the
ball and the runner to first, but the short
stop is quick and the runner is out.
80 the fun goes on. occasionally there
is lightning play that mystifes me, but
the small boy usually sets me right.
baseball audience cannot but express it's
applause or disgust "a the game proceeds.
80 before the beginning of the second inning
am using the eyes of score of people
about me without having any of them
conscious of the fact.
81 can occasionally hear the rush of line
drive that is very swift but usually do not
know where the ball has gone until hear
it strike. If there is the spat of ball in a
bare hand in deep field, and then dull
thud. know the fielder has mufred the fly
should know this even if did not hear the
groans from the players admirers or q
howl of delight from his opponents.
"Of course, curves and drops are lost upon
me, but l can tell very accurately as to
pitchers speed and distinguish a speedy
from a slow ball by the difference in the
spat when the ball strikes the catcher's
mitt.
THE beautiful curve of the ball when the
centerfeder makes a perfect rainbow
with the sphere against the summer sky
and drops it fairly in the catcher's hand.
heading off the man from third, Of course
cannot see but the principal thing was the
out, after all.
Il can always tell whether hall is high
~ or q low drive by the time it takes in
going, and many other details that would
surprise you,
Sometimes, when | have teen unable
to get seat in the grand stand, and am
occupying a teacher opposite third,
little eyesiRht would lie most handy. 1t
is when the lat cracks viciously and |
feel a start among the spectators al ont
me and cry of Look out" from dozen
lips.
"Why should ! dodge? | am as likely
TO dodge the wrong way as the right. So
| simply put both hands over that portion