The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-12-30
FUNNY
FHEAEkS OF
RANDOM.

an hour beforo the
tea mt take the
field and IL usually folded away into
desuetude 20 minutes or SO after tho
game is over. IN the time that Inter
yenes. however. Il Is as busy as a bee
hive. A short, bright-eyed little man
has charge OF it's activities. And he
knows more about the inner cravings
Of baseball bug than any man In De-
troit. Charles n. Fridley IL his name.
though IL Is doubtful II more than one
per cent OF the fans who consume his
popcorn. peanuts and other edibles, to
say nothing Of his lemonade and pop.
Lave ever heard 1t or ever given his
long and careful preparation for their
comfort. SO much as q passing thought
winters Mr.. Fridley puts In as ON
important adjunct OF the box ONCE Of
one OF the local theaters, but he Is
always willing to talk baseball and Is
oven now looking forward TO an active
season with the hot dogs and the cold
drinks.
~ often wonder" said Mr.. Fridley
|reminiscently tho other day, IL there
was ever q bunch OF baseball fans like
those-in Detroit. There Is only one
time when they're satisfied with their
ball club and that Is when they're be-
hind but climbing toward the front.
The days when the club IL down
and losing are bad ones down in my
little grotto. II the weather Is cool
It's all the worse. II the team IL los
ing the bugs don't feel like eating or
drinking. Now and then one OF the
boys sells a sack OF peanuts to some
fellow who's out at the game with his
girl and Is trying TO show her a good
time. Between innings couple OF
fellows will drift down and discuss
frankfurter. The team Is behind and
it's rotten game and-mind you
the score may be close and the field
ing fast and errorless, at that.
IT'S almost as bad when the Tigers
are up on top and going away. Why
one OF the poorest series I had last
June. That was the time Hughie and
his bunch copied eight games In seven
days without losing one. and they were
away in the lead at the time. The
weather was fine. too, but nobody
cared to buy. They couldn't get en-
thusiastic to save their lives.
Where did business was along in
August when the Athletics dropped In
They were leading the league and De-
troit was third. The Tigers grabbed
three straight games, got their lead
back and the weather was hot. The
way those crowds snapped up the re-
solid and liquid, was some
thing absolutely unbelievable. made
almost as much in that series as the
one with Boston that followed soon
after. as I did in any entire month
OF the season. Why they'd even buy
popcorn!
Funny thing about popcorn con-
tinued Mr.. Fridley. MIR. Wheelan.
who had the concession from the club
before l got 1t, made his popcorn the
main staff Of life for the bugs. Per-
haps he had a way Of selling 1t that
none OF my men have. At any rate,
nobody bought much OF anything else.
When Whee1an left the fans seemed TO
switch at once to peanuts. To my
mind it's only natural. There's some
thing about peanuts that seems asso-
ciated with baseball in the popular
mind never hear shell crache
but l feel like going upstairs where
| can see the Tigers claw up the oppo-
sition. saw a newspaper article that
had IL that Indianapolis fans ate ID
tons of peanuts last year. guess De-
troit fans ate so. And pop. What they
drank before August you could put In
your eye, but they consumed enough
in the next two months to float a bat
tleship.
"Oh, It's a great game and a great
town TO work in"
Perhaps it's a bit unfortunate that
the d. A. c. didn't preface its attempt
to revive racing on skates by featur-
ing local talent in preliminary meet
Or two. It's hard to work up real en-
Lhusiasm over the competition between
outsiders, not known even by reputa-
ton locally. And they all seemed so
well acquainted. too.
And still the rumor refuses to down
hat Jake Mazer and his veteran band
won't take counsel from the example
Of Robert Fitzsimmons.
II Eddie Summers thinks that De-
.roit fandom holds anything against
i'm from the worlds series. he has
another guess coming. His prompt |
entrance into the field OF signed ath-
etes should be accepted as the indi-
.ation of an uptamed spirit.
How, II Mr.. MERCY, who annually
nuddles In an official manner-rhe
American leagues batting and fielding
statistics, could only dig UP 80 more
tits for the st. Louis Browns. he
might boost them into first division
inish.
Add to the list OF ex-presidents OF
he American association the name CT
Toe O'Brien. Doubtless j. Ed. Grillo
md the rest have already forwarded
on Joe's return to the
ield of journalism.
Once more we're called on 10 mourn
At the bier OF the man who discovered
John. L. Sullivan. All me, And each
lime the name has been different,
ADDED BOUT THE BEST.
Exhibition BY Prendergast and Shores
Reused Windsorites.
Windsor's card suffered terrific |
slump last evening, which was prob
ably but natural from the fact that
the club had staged a pair of semi. |