The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-25

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the pitcher won a ball game 4 guy
who rooted for the losing team says as
he was goin' out, kind o sadly;
Queer way to lose that game: a
measly sacrifice hit did it"
Queer way to loseI The expression
brought out a long train Of thought.
and started it chOO-choOing through
my mind Queer camel And then
thought of Chanceville. Ariz-, and the
queer way We won a game there. and a
bunch o money-and we won IL on a
strikeout. Did you ever hear Of a thing
ike that befoTe-Or sinCe2 a man Strik-
ing out and winning a ball game2
You might say that the queeTest game
OF ball the famous Alfalfas ever went
up against was the time they played
the Whizzers Of Whizzerville, where
they play progressive baIl-that is. in
the first inning only singles count, in
the second only tWo-baggcTS. in the
third only Tee-bdggers. in the fourth
only home runs, and they went on with
I'VE. SES. seven an eIght@baggeTs till
the ninth innin', where they made
jump. for reason or other. an to win a
game in the ninth innin' down there YOU
had to knock the ball for q twelve-bsg-
ger-or about six miles.
Now, if you remember, the day the
AlfalfaS played the Whizzers won the
game in the ninth innin with a scratch
twelve Dagger. They said il was a
scratch IN Whizzerville, though I
claimed II was about as hard a drive as
I ever stUng a league ball for. The
reason they called IL a scratch was that
IL didn't so sailin' out into the next
county, but because ii hit the short
stops hands, glanced off 'em, shot
down the back o his shirt, KEEP on
through his pant leg and stockin'. and
l.. L.
only got eight times around the bases
when he found the ball. cause the
crash had knocked the shortstOD out
and he couldn't tell his nine where the
bah was. They might have got me out
then, only for the fact that the ball had
been driven into the nails of his shoe,
and they had to get cold chisen to cut
Il loose.
You might say that that was a, queer
game for a team that had been used
10 playing only the regular American
brand of baseball. But shucksI The
Alfalfas have had so many queer sets
o rules fired at 'em that nOthin' seems
hard now. That's why I've brought you
through the WhiZzer game to the day
we played the Chanceville team out
in the Arizona desert
Chanceville, as the name implies. is
the greatest gambling town on earth.
1t amt no relation to Frank Chance,
the Chicagos' first baseman- In fact, I
never heard o no baIlplayers ever hail
ing from there, for they all stay home,
the graft is 50 good. Down in Chance
Vile you can bet on every horse in
every race that is bein' run in the
United States that day, an there amt
10 district attorney to jump in an raid
the pOOlTOOmS an keep you from IOSin
your money. You can play poker. TOu-
lette, fan-tan or CTOpS-in fact. games
vile. That's the reason they came near
barring baseball till they found a way
of making a gambling game out Of it,
with quick action for your money. The
motto of the town is Take a chance"
1t was some time after our WhizZeT-
Vile game that we struck Chanceville,
and we had been sWeepin' things before
Us clear through Texas, Arizona and
New Mexico. We got into the town one
Saturday morning about II O'Clock, and
as we stepped of the cars we were eyed
by a curious crowd. Suddenly a big
fellow with a sonabreror hat climbed up
on a box, took a slate from his pocket,
scrubbed on it, hung it I'D and then
pulled out a big roll o bills. This was
written on the slate;
Actors Observation-Disclosures 1890 10 to 1
DTummeTS -----.---------..- to l
Gamblers --------------.-- ---.---1eO to j
PlkerS --.----.------ -----.------. 10 :
IourlSJS---- .----.--------. 5000 % 10 1
Suckers-------- ---------- - 10 i
Here you are. gents, says he
Here's the only genuine book ON these
new arrivals Make your bets now
Their identityU be known in minute,
an you won't have to wait for your
money if you hit it right What are
they"
Give me ten O. that actor bet" says
one O EN-. taking a look at Jim HaTri-
son. our sissy third basemau.
Bert Hardy, says the big fellow on
the stool. You been in this town long
enough to know that I don't take no
pikin' dollar bets I'll write you down
a ticket $3.50 to S25, an that's the best
III do
The Hardy fellow put down 80 Off
a roll he carried in his hattie couldn't
n got it in any one pOcket-an' an
other fellow sings out, havin' looked
At Pinch Hobbs big satcheI and his
general businessiike appearance:
A little ni5ble o that drummer
money for a half a hundred viii do me,
Judge"
You're on" says the judge.
Just then four or five men caught
sight O Reggie in his gray. made-tO-
order travelling suit and his silk puff
tie, and they rushed down 50 many
huudTed-dollar bets on the tourist prop
osition that the bOokmaker rubbed it
10 > to l. Things were getting mixed
I'D. and some o. the first bettors were
gettiu' ready To hedge when sam MeT-
rift. the last man out o the car, sings
out the bat bag and calls Hennessy
down for not helpin' him with it
If YOU ever seen CONSERVATION writ
on the face o people. II was on them
felIers that had their money up when
they seen that bat bag
Hey. amt YOU aCtors2' says the
man named Bert Hardy, TUShin' up
to Josh.
With that there was a whoop. an
the crowd rushed for the judge on the
box with hands outStretched. It didn't
phase him a bit. Stufiiu' the yellow
backs in his pocket he stood up straight
ar foIdin' his arms an smiled very
superior brand o. quiet laugh His hull
attitude said, palmer than words:
SHOW me"
Well" SAYS Josh. 1--WE are actors, for
We play matinee performance en-
titled The National Game every after
noon. We're tourists. because we've
been all over the United States looking
for just such a easy place as this an
were drummers. because we're sellin
about the slickest article o baseball
that can be found in the United States
So. I figure you all win"
Dunn the luck" says Hardy. a ball
nine. I might known it I'm that big
fellows hands" says he, pOintin' TO
me.
The Judge jumped ofCn the box an
began rubin off the slate with a
cheerful smile. You're lot bum
Euessers,' says he There's another
book goin' here now. though, an that
is that i'm the game this afternoon the
ChanceviIIes run out before these fell
1,-.-- cot nine Who wants TO take that