Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-07

progress on Conant field in the
town of Weld one of those thrilling
baseball contests that fill in far more
| important place in that town than any.
| thing else, there We're heard about the
| field such expressions as these:
'Halnt es good as the wust home boy
we gut" He'll never make er ball
player or He haint built right"
The game was close. so very close
| that the loyal rooters Of the enthus!as-
tic community were all up in arms
Weld, at last saw an opportunity Of
melting out defeat to the hated Dix
fields. Excitement never ran to a high
er pitch, not even in Weld. With the
score tied and a couple of men on
bases, a striped stockinged youngster
stepped confidently to the batter's box!
He was Yields $75 player" the young
man who hailed from Lewiston and
who had been induced to come to Weld
because he was offered SIS and keep"
for the season. Weld much needed
man who could pitch we'll and who
could bat the ball hard and in this
youth it was believed Weld had the
man, that is, those in that fine inner
circle of Weld people who look brightly
toward the future OF course certain
pessimists spoke discourag ingly of the
new man and never failed to term lin
other than that "$75 player" And ii
was in this game that the first real
test came, the time. when the judgment
of those who had advocated the en-
gagement of the Lewiston man would
be weighed in the balance. TIE "s75
player" was looked upon to pull the
home team through the gap. But, alas
for human fralty, ball players are
prone to mistakes, and even a scratch
hit that would have meant success was
not forthcoming. The new man struck
| out.
1t would be highly improper to record
| the expressions that then resounded
| over Commits field. Some of the here
tofore enthusiasts sought consolation
| in strong talk and one husky son Of
the soil. laboring beneath the strains
of a jag felt that he was called upon
to seek revenge in the pugulstic way
The young man who had caused the
trouble was William Carrigan. Those
who had engineered the deal of get
ting him to come to town had sung
his praises in no unstinted way, but
when he struck out at this critical
period there were those who 6Quknl
that grave mistakes nau uuei. ...4..
But. as the season developed and this
young man gave exhibitions of being at
home in all parts of the field, many
OF those who We're so strongly Opposed
To the engagement Of the youth became
his most ardent supporters. A quiet
gentlemanly sort Of q fellow. one who
made friends easily and kept them
Carrigan won his way to local popular
ity.
Today Carrigan is rated as one
the hest baseball players in the WORN
As the star backstop of the fast Bos-
ton team of American League he Is
looked upon as nothing short of phe.
nominal. Up to the time he was forced
by broken finger to lay off he occu-
pied leading positions among the bats
men of his team and eighth among inc
batsmen of the league. In the total OF
is games played he has maintained an
average of .30S at bat, making 40 base
hits. five of which We're for two bases
and two for three bases and. scoring 10
runs. In the field he had proved equal
ly active having scored 100 put outs
So assists and but II errors.
J Gus Bailey of the Boston Record, one
of the leading baseball experts OF '"e
country recently said: ''Rill Carrlsah
is one of the best backstops tnat ever
donned a nit. In the last dozen year.
l haven't seen q man behind the pa'
who put up n better game than nc.
1t is remarkable that such a youns
player could rise so steadily; but wiz,
any pitcher in the league in the poN
I would rather have Carrigan on u,
receiving end than any man cou.u
name. And that is not all, for WIG"
he comes to the bat you may feel ina
there is likely to be hit lor'H
coming"
Perhaps it is the mountain air Oh ou
Weld Perhaps it is the basebaii en-
thusiasum that is instilled in every
body over there and perhaps it IS sun
ply Carrigan, but, nevertheless, IL ~
mains that a young man who spent
season in Weld playing baseball TOT
salary of SIS for the season has CHM
ed to the very top of the ladder sna
now finds in his weekly pay enveiolS
twice the amount he earned in the w.
son when he first played for sain'
in Weld.
Farm hands for harvesting the gram