The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
Dead-Armed Ball Player Rode Up In
Blackboard and Put Confident
Runner Out-Ball In
the Ground.


the game that make even the case hard
ened regular sit up and yelp with sur
prise and Joy.
An old play came up in a game between
Detroit and Comiskeys team few years
ago. Harvey, once a pitcher, was put at
third base for Detroit. Harvey could
hit, but he couldn't field much, and the
complications of inheld play were too
much for him. White Stockings were on
first and second with none out. and De
troit decided to make a play which IS
common enough when bunt is expected.
The third baseman was today in close as
il for the bunt, the second baseman and
shortstop were to hold the runner close
to second. When the batter hunted the
third baseman was to turn and cover
third quickly. the first baseman or pitch
er getting the ball and throwing the
runner out at third,
Knew the Play.
Harvey knew the play When Holmes
hunted, Harvey turned like flash and
dashed back toward third. 1t happened
that the hit was a short pop fly straight
at Harvey, whose back, of course. was
turned. The ball struck him on top of
the head, bounded up, and Harvey, with
out turning, caught 1t and then whirling
completed the double play at second.
Philadelphia lost hard luck game to
Cleveland in the old twelve-club league.
The score was close, Philadelphia had
two men on bases and Ed Delehanty
was at bat.
He cracked a long drive across the
left field fence-a sure home run. The
ball was going over the fence high In the
air, when suddenly it changed its course,
dropped straight down, hit the top of
the fence and bounded back into the lot.
The crowd, which had given up in de-
spair, was astonished. The Cleveland
left fielder got the ball and, by quick
throw. cut down runner at the plate
and Delehanty was held at second. The
next man went out and Philadelphia was
beaten.
Investigation after the game. proved
that the ball had struck a telephone
wire leading to a factory just outside the
grounds. The people in the left field
bleachers saw 1t, but the others were
puzzled to account for the queer antics
of the sphere.
Clark Griffith tells of a play that hap
pened when he was playing in the Coast
league for which l refuse to vouch. 1t
appears. from Grif's story, that Seattle
had a left fielder whose arm was deader
than Rameses the Second and nearly as
dead as Rameses the First. He couldn't
even lob the ball back to the diamond.
In a close game one afternoon against
Butte al Butte one of the Butte players
hit a long foul fly to left field and the
dead-armed man went in pursuit of it.
The field was lined with carriages and
near the foul line stood a blackboard to
which were hitched two wild mustangs.
As the dead-armed ball player came
tearing along after the foul the mus
tangs got scared and started to run,
away.
A Wonderful Mix-up.
The dead-armed man caught the ball
and the runner on third started home,
lettering along. knowing the fellow
couldn't throw him out. The dead-armed
man. after his jumping catch, kept right
on and before he could stop he col
lided with the runaway blackboard and
fell clear over 1t. The runaway dashed
across the field The baserunner lodged
to avoid them, and the dead-armed man,
leaping from the blackboard, tagged the
runner on the line and completed the
double play
Grif also has a grizzly bear story-but
that is too tall to tell Somebody might
doubt II.
But here is a true one for which c.
Webb Murphy will vouch, because 1t
happened to the team of his home town,
Wilmington, Ohio. shortly before Murphy
bought Cincinnati. The game was be-
tween Wilmington and New Vienna and
1t was played on the "gas well'' grounds
at New Vienna. SO called because about
20 feet to one side of the home plate
was a pump drawing water from the
gas well that never produced any gas.
The game was close. with New Vienna
leading up to near the close. when two
Wf1mingtons made hits. Harve West,
the only Straightforward first baseman
that ever lived was at second when
Reese, pitching for New Vienna, made
wild pitch The ball hit the shoe of Stan
Arthur, bounded crooked, jumped into
the spout of the gas well and disap-
peared.
Arthur. who afterward starred with
Toledo, rushed over and gave one OF the
best exhibitions of quick thinking ever
seen. Selling the pump handle, he pump
ed as hard as he could, and. after about
five strokes, pumped the ball out, grabbed
It, and. by quick throw to Reese. shut
off West at the plate
Tacky Tom PARROT lost game for
st. Louis one afternoon in an odd way,
Malachi Kittredge tells the story another
way-but I'll give both versions.
1t was late In the afternoon and Tom
was playing center field A heavy shad-
ow lay under the grand stand. covering
the batter's box so the outfielders could
not see the ball until it rose above the
shadow In the eighth inning a Phila-
delphia player, big Jack Taylor, I be-
lieve, raped line fly to center. The
ball went straight at the spot where
Tom was standing, but the crowd was
amazed to see the fielder turn and run
outward straight away from the ball
which fell safe and went for a two-basc
hit As It turned out afterward Tom
waited to see the ball rise above the
shadow. and then, seeing something flash
over him, turned and went in pursuit Of
an English sparrow.
AS Kittredge tells the story the ball
was fouled and went over the grand