The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-09-07
KNOWS THE
CAME FROM
ALL ANGLES
FORMER GOVERNOR FER.
GUSON A QUAIL F i Z d
BASEBALL EXPERT

"Talk ab1ut Casey "a the bat, said
W Faulkner. baseball pitcher
ol rcpuie in numerous Western
leagues recently. - know of but one
man n an Oklahoma Who has come
anywhere near to saving a game for
MIS- home nine. and that IS eX-GOy
Tom H. Ferguson OF Watonga. Tie
took his place behind the bar when
the game was apparently overN helm
ngly lost 10 Watonga. and il was
through his work that his home nine
hrlly won
Ferguson at one time was a catch
er up In Southern Kansas many
yoai ago, and has always been a
fan Of the highest degree Even TO
The present da, he watches the prog
rpss n all leagues, and is probably
S well posted on inside baseball and
all dope in regard 10 various players
as amy ether man in The entire West.
On This particular day the Waton-
ga nine. an independent team, was
playing against Geary, a town to the
south and IN cid time rival of Wat0n-
~a F1' several wears IN fact ever
since the Cheyenne-ArapahO country
fe Cr"red to settlement. lhese TWO
towns have been contestng for base
pan honors In Western Oklahoma.
Tom EpreusOn has llWa.s helped
maintain his home nine Al the pres
em time one OF his sons, Tom Fer
su5on Jr, is following in his faith
er's footsteps by playing bah on the
local tcam
u had arrived in Watonga that
day from a Western "trip pitching ball
fer several independent teams, and
while n Watonga ran across another
player with whom ! had been IN
games before. he asked me If /
would help them out during The game,
ma said they would play me in right
field. al that time | had plenty OF
m0ke and could put them over with
any yougster in tae Southwest.
THE Watonga pitcher got started
in bad that da5 and by the time the
fifth inning was Ovet the score
stood something Ike o TO o in favor
0l Geary Then the player with
whom was acquainted asked me II
would not pitch the remainder oil
The game consented on condition
that they would put in an experienced
catcher. Tie fellow they mad be
hind the bat was not experienced by
any means. and it was very evident
mat If Wa,onga Won the game II
would principally have to be by bat
ter work.
| Ex-Governor 10 the Front.
"The manager of the Watonga
team did not know whore 10 get an
experienced ntcher. but 1t happened
ha Tom Ferguson was standing near
and volunteered to do the receiving
He said: I may NOT be able to hold
IRE balls that are pitched but ! can
stop them
Ferguson took his place behind
the bat. ana from that time on We
had the Geary players guessing all
| Fac time Nct only did Ferguson
| cftch m excellent game, bur at the
| hat hc landed on several balls thai
scored runners and assisted very
materially in Watonga finally winning
the game by a score OF : 20 g.
Farmson is considered one of The
i best baseball scouts in the South
west lie is continually al Worl
picking MP oungsters from the brusi
for hg leagues Many younsste'
can ihank Oklahoma's ex-governor
fcr I'd ing a tryout with n league
team. There is no doubt had Fereu
SON taken mp baseball rs a protes
sion i'm his earlier vears that he woul'
have become a major leasuer