Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-10
FR|SCO's POLICE
ARE CHAMPIONS
DEFEAT LOCAL BLUEC0ATS BY
CLOSE SCORE
GAME GOES TO TEN INNINGS
Nespo Mascot and Great eobs Of Luck
Aid In snatehIns the Victory
From Los Angeles
Boys
GAME GOES TO TEN INNINGS

One insignificant, forlorn looking,
woolly headed descendant Of Ham,
known as Midnight" dressed in a
mouth Of enormous size and pair Of
overalls caused the baseball team of
the Los Angeles police department to
retire from Chutes PARK yesterday af-
ternoon in defeat, while the Frisco
nine, although marching back with
eolors flying, fully appreciated the fact
that their ten-inning victory to the tune
Of to was not all the result of good
playing.
The performance of the day began
yesterday with parade, which formed
at the police station with a squad of
bicycle officers in the van. Chief of
Police Hammel, Capts. Auble and Brad
fish and the two teams riding in auto
mobiles formed the body Of the pro-
cession, while the new electric am
bulance brought up the rear guard to
pick up any officers injured by the au-
tomobiles or to serve as emergency in
case the Los Angeles team should find
it necessary to arrest any of the good
Frisco players to keep them out of the
game.
midnight" Was Mascot
Just before the start the afore-men-
toned little negro hove in sight from
Hill street. He was as black as the
proverbial ace of spades, and as the
ball players caught sight of him there
was a general scramble in his direction.
Escola, the Frisco catcher, caught him.
bore him in triumph to the Frisco
auto and dubbed him Midnight" and
when his cap was removed each player
rubbed his hand over the kinky wool
to put luck into his batting perform
ance.
The game was arranged under the
direction of the Los Angeles Police Re
lief association for the benefit of the
department relief fund, and the work
of Capts. Bradish and Auble, Officers
Walsh and Tyler and Sergts. Williams,
Harris Craig and Haupt was apparent
in the fine program and the smooth way
in which the performance was carried
out. The association will probably be
substantially benefited, as a crowd of
nearly 5000 persons was in attendance.
Preceding the game it was announced
that Ludwig & Mathews would present
great basket Of fine fruit to the first
man making home run, and the
Frisco bunch went to the bat de-
termined to carry away the juicy prize
With two strikes slowed away
Plume, the first man up for the visitors,
sent a safe one singing down along
the right field line. He waltzed down
to the initial bag, but on a very ques-
tionable decision was sent back. After
that the outs came in one, two, three
order under the effective curves of r.
Whaling.
HeId's Home Run
And then came Los Angeles inning, |
and Percy Held, captain of the locals. |
Beau Brummel of the department and
general good fellow, picked up his will
low, received the blessings of his team
mates. walked to the plate, hitched up
his trousers and-won the fruit basket. |
Birdsall, captain and pitcher for the
northerners, evidently had respect for
the able Percy, for with great care
he picked out his finest spit ball
from the dope collection and served it
daintily up to the plate. And Percy, |
closing his eyes and seeing only a !
basket of fruit before him, drove at that
very first ball, and when the dust
cleared a man was climbing back over
the fence with the stray ball. while |
Percy was receiving a huge bouquet of
alfalfa as reward for his meritorious
performance.
From that time on the teams settled
down to consistent playing and put up
one of the best exhibitions of amateur
baseball ever seen in Los Angeles.
Luck With Visitors
The luck, however was all with the
visitors. and some of their lucky plays
called forth expressions of wonder until |
the bleachers caught sight of the
Frisco players constantly replenishing
their store of good fortune by rubbing
the little coon's wool
Frisco came back in the second with
two runs. Los Angeles repeated this
performance in the third, and at the
start of the ninth both teams were at a
tie with five runs each.
With a man on first and third in the
ninth inning. Whaling settled down and
gave a remarkable exhibition of clever
pitching. sending three men to the
bench in rapid order. Los Angeles then
went to the bat, and at the decisive
moment, when a hit would have won
the game, the luck OF the north was
again manifested and Smith, driving
out what appeared to be a safe hit over
short, was scarcely less surprised than
the shortstop when that player, after
making frantic dive In the air, came
down with the ball stuck in the palm
Of his bare right hand. The tenth fin