The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-01
Incidentally They Play Some
Baseball.
)SE In THE NINTH.
Trick Steal Made the
Trouble.
Big Chief Gives Good Exhibition
Of Hitting.


double steal in the ninth inning by
Love and Cross scored the winning run
for the Blues and defeat for Dick
Cooley's Topeka aggregation of the
Western League at Association park
Wednesday afternoon. The final tally
was 10 to 9. Cross and Cooley were
playing tricks all afternoon and the
Blues won because Cross tricks were
more cleverly executed, although Cooley
managed to get scores in with his.
This trick of Cross. which scored the
winning run, was, an old one, but it
worked on the Cooley aggregation and.
Dick was Disguised with his players
for falling for it. There were two men
out, Love on third and Cross on first
in the ninth inning, with the score tied.
hit. Cross was afraid Joe would fail
to score the winning run, and to keep
the $50 fans from shivering any longer
he worked an old major league gag. He
motioned to Love and then started for
second He fell down purposely after
going ten feet and the pitcher started
for him. owe started for home and in
the meantime Cross was making
sham effort to get up. When Burnham
got near enough Cross jumped to his
feet and Love was making tracks for
the plate. Burnham headed Love off
and they had him between the bases.
Here Love did some great base rum
ming after mixing up about seven play
ers in the toss for him managed to
slide safe. The game was over.
Steal the Victory.
When that ninth inning opened the
Topeka club was three runs to the
good and there were very few who be-
heved the Blues stood a chance to tie
the score or win. But there is little
telling what that gang Cross has as
III n1 h &c cna FHhaU
when it is least expected and score
most any time. There are about six
men on the regular lineup who are
liable to bring the pill to safe corners
of the ball farm most any time. These
men are Brashear, Love, Hethng, car
hsle Mailman and Neighbors. Boles is
also a fair hitter and Cross generally
gets some timely .bingles.
Dick Cooley has a mighty fast bunch
of ball players for the 1909 campaign,
Judging from the way they did things
yesterday and that same bunch has
great leader. He will fight hard for
the rag and If he does not win it, 1t
will not be because he don't try. Funk,
the shortstop, nearly made the error
record of the local grounds with a to-
tai of five boots, most of which were
bad throws. The outfield is a good one
and they are not all there yet Phil
Geier, the former st. Paul gardener,
will strengthen it. The inf1eld is fast
there, except Kahl, who is an old play
err That team will make some of those
old members of the Western League
play fast ball to beat it out this year
Cooley Hit a Few.
Speaking of hitters. Topeka has
one. 1t is Chief Cooley, who looked a
good deal like a September toad yes
terday. But Dick was there with the
willow just as he used to be In the
big league only stronger. The only
thing he failed to get was triple. He
pounded the horsehide over the right
field fence for a homer, made dou-
BILE in right and added a single just for
luck His home run was of that John
Freeman variety and he says he is
just practicing up for the regular sea-
son. He will not have to hit that hard
to put the pill over the fence in most
Western league parks either. Cullen
and Green Joined Cooley in pounding
the cover off the ball
When three innings were over it
looked like a sure victory for the
Blues for Vyskocil had allowed just
one hit and the Cross gang had three
scores. But the Bohemian twirler
weakened in the fourth inning and
the Cooley aggregation tied the score
Then Brennan was put on the rupper
and again the Topeka club raped the
pill hard and timely, scoring two in
the fifth. The Blues made three more
runs off Slapnicka's delivery in the
sixth. taking another lead. Cooley then
decided that the finger with the jaw
breaking name had been on the
mound long enough and substituted
Burnham. He worked we'll until the
final session when Cross and Love
made the double steal that won the
game, after three hits had been made
and two other runs scored ahead of
them. Brennan allowed Cooley's ag-
gregation a lead in the seventh and
Hamilton went to the rubber in the
eighth. They raped him for five hits
and two TALES in two innings.