The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-21
ONE-AR RMED WONDER
Given Credit for the Winning of a Close Ball Game
 Out West.
BASEBALL AT SAN DIEGO
New Haycner Writes Interesting Ac- count of Odd Things on the
 Pacific Coast.

To the Editor of The Journal-Courier
 Here's a greeting from the land of the orange and lemons, the palm and polnsettia the cactus and sage brush. The land of balmy airs and snowloss skys. Where fresh vegetables and fruits are brought to ones door every morning. Where the flowers are bloom Ing and the birds are singing all through the winter months. Where one dreams away the hours sitting out in the sunshine or fishing on the dock. catching now and then a founder. Watching the pelicans and divers doing the same, or if more strenuously in clined casting line from the long pier at Coronardo Beach for crokers and blue smelt, Speaking of fishing l saw few days ago two small jew fish why they are so called do not know lying on the wharf, tho two weighed l15 pounds But what impels mo to write you just at this time, isn't the delightful climate, the good things we have to eat, or the pleasures of fishing, But 1t is a baseball game, Last Satur- day I saw an unique exhibition, one which l am sure would Interest the sporting editor and take the fans back for brief moment, to the summer days of the ball and hat The ball games seem to be mostly played here on the sabbath day and as haven't been long enough away from Puritan New England, but what | still have left a slight degrcc of repugnance to attending such affairs on Sunday I have had no opportunity to see game until day before yesterday Taking my seat on the bleechers, like true dem ocrat in the blessed sunshine, with a motley throng from all parts of the states, with some Mexican thrown in, not forgetting few sailors from Uncle | Sain's torpedo fleet now in the harbor. l prepared to imagine myself back at Savn Rock for an hour or two.
 awoke from my dream however, when I saw q one-armed man walk onto tho field in a players uniform. He seemed Co be a member of the Los Angeles team, which was 10 play the San l 'D'NSOSs tllpuSu IL d I'kft f9pllt freak" I said. to catch attention But I sat up and took notice when he began during the preliminary practice of the two teams. to hit fly balls for the field CTS Holding both bat and ball in his left hand, the right arm being off at the elbow, the ball was lightly tossed in the air and then. with a quick swing ot | La h,, 1,t l.. It's way. No great feat of course, bu' the ball was hit with such force that il went against the fence nearly every tlme and once fairly over 1t. And the grounds were fully as large as those a Savin Rock. When the game commence cd he took second base, a position which he helded in fine shape. Lone thrown balls, high batted balls, or grounders were all taken surely anC returned quickly. He seemed to have perfect confidence in himself to per form anything demanded of base ebal player One fly ball. batted over his head he chased out into center field and caught while running with the bal In catching he made use of his stump of an arm by clapping 1t onto the ball and holding fl fast, as soon as the ball was caught in the left hand. For the last few days I have seen an intelligent looking young man, 22 or 23 years old, with ono leg gone, sitting on the side walk begging I thought of him while watching this other young fellow earn. Ing hs living at athletics and notwith. standing such a handicap, full of life and enjoyment: and wished tho began might see him too IL was such an ob. iect lesson In what hope and confidence and the determination to succeed, vii do for a person All honor to Georgc Ely, the one-armed ball player.
 Now Mir. Editor it would not have oc- cured to mo to write you in this vein J if It had not been for the report of tho two games played Saturday and Sun. day in the San Diego evening paper which am mailing you On Saturday tho local team won, lt was a gooo game all but ono inning. But you will sec by the report that yesterday the Los Angeles won out. by the close score of 1 to 0. II seems to be question as to whether the wonder should have been allowed to play at all, he having been borrowed for the occasion Tht fun comos in when you notice that hc Is given chief credit for tho locals de- feat yesterday and that they are pro testing the two games in consequence ! heard not the slightest objection or Saturday to his playing, either by tho san Diego players or the audience though he appeared to be well known to both The locals were much the heavier team and was in no way sur. prlsed at ;hclr winning on Saturday But Sundays game shows that It's not always size and weight that win aI- most wish that had seen yester- days game Sincerely yours,
 San Diego, Dec l4, 1908.
 w. r. H.