Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-18
FUNNY BALL TALES
Many Laughab[e Incidents
Happen on the Diamond.
ONE ON CHRIS Won DER ABE
Pop Arson, Mike Kelly and Later.
Day Stars Figure in Bright
Anecdotes.

whenever between two seasons, q half
dozen ball players foregather the talk
is almost sure to be about incidents far
removed from the technical side Of the
game, but incidents withal that are
nightly interesting all by themselves.
Several of these stories were told in
the Breslin in New York, around a table
at which a number of ball players and
base ball writer's were sitting last week,
waiting for the club owners. who were
in session upstairs. to adjourn. Some
of the stories told are worth a place
in base ball histories
X X ::
One day when the White Sox and Maps
were having a desperate struggle at
South Side Park in Chicago, the atten-
ton of the players was directed to
man. who. accompanied by several
women. occupied one of the front boxes,
and who wildly cheered every good play.
The man was dressed in faultless fash
ION, and when he would get up, swing
his tall silk hat over his head and
shout his approval or disapproval Of
play, everybody in the stands and on
the diamond was forced to take notice
In the ninth inning. when the score
was to l in favor Of the White Sox,
the Maps filled the bases. with nobody
out Up to this time Lajoie had made
three of the Maps four hits. AS
Larry" took his place at the bat. with
Fellow player on every base, the man
In the box arose. took off his glossy hat
him.
Ladies and gentlemen" he shouted.
permit me to inform you that this ball
game is now owe. and that Cleveland
wins by the score of to A.
AS sort of an echo to. this declara-
ton came the crash Of "Larry's'' bat
against the ball. and when Fielder Jones
mad retrieved the sphere out by center
field fence, the score was indeed as the
fan had said-o to 4 in favor Of Cleve-
land.
Charlie Comiskey was about the only
player on the old St. Louis Browns who
was absolutely not afraid of Won der
Abe. One day at the ST. Louis ball park,
when Won der Abe was seated III box
bench occupied by the home team, he
overheard some remark attacking his per-
Sonal appearance. He thought it had
been mouthed by one of the st. Louis
Llayers. Turning quickly in his seat, the
German magnate discovered several of
the local cohorts clustered in conversa-
ton nearby. Comiskey was among them
Chris called him over to his box.
Who was 1t said it?' asked the st.
Louis boss.
Said what?" rejoined Comskey.
Won der Abe told Comiskey what ne
had heard-he thought-coming from the
direction of the home players rendezvous.
Then, pulling ost a fat roll of green
backs and trimming off a century case
note. which he brandiShed dramatically,
Chris made this statement to Comiskey.
in semi-conf1dential manner:
You see this, Commy? / give it to
know who it was said it,
Hand 1t to me, Chris" said ComiS-
key, "and I'll tell YOU
comiskey after deity assisting Won
der Abe to hand over the currency to
well. Chris-I'm the one that said it,
and then hastily vanished with the s1OO
bill crunched in the palm of his right
hand.
No such exhibition of anger. so ball
players say, was ever seen on any ball
field as was given by Pop" Arson one
day. when, with the bases full. Lee Viau,
then with Cleveland. struck the G o. NJ.
of base ball out on three pitched balls,
at each one of which Cap swung
"Oh. didn't care about striking out"
said Pop" after the game Everybody
strikes out now and then: but it made M
hot to be struck out by a little dude with
a curly mustache. who spends half his
time flirting with the girls In the grand
stand
Seldom does it pay for a patron of the
great American game to address a Sar-
castle remark to a player out on the
field. The men in uniform usually are
smart men: are jealous of their reputa-
tons, and having hours of idle time on
their hands. are primed and ready to ell
gage in any kind of repartee or verbal
pyrotechnics. almost always to their own
advantage.
For instance, the fans tell this story
about Mike" Kelly. one of the greatest
ball players that ever lived: In one OF the
la,t games he ever played. the "Only
Kel " struck out when a hit would have
~on the game. AS Kelly started back to
the bench a flashily dressed man in one
of the front boxes attracted attention to
himself by call ng out:
Poor old 'keL,' your lamps are out"
Il know it," replied Kelly, cheerfully,
but SO long as a lot OF easy marks like
you come here and see me fool the pub
old three squares. -
And then the fashily dressed man
wished that he had kept his peace.
One day last season in Cincinnati fan
called out to Mathewson. when Paskert
was at bat:
Say. 'Christy.' you haven't struck out
'Dode' this season. Why don't you do it
right now?"
"All ght. WILL replied ''Matty." tip
ping his cap. and he then proceeded to
wind three of his teasers around the Reds
great outfielder's neck, each one of which
Umpire O'Day declared to be strike.
X i: X
you haven't made home run this
year." howled a fan as Sam Crawford
came to bat in an important game in
Cleveland last season.
The fan was Immediately spotted by
spectators and players. for his voice was
loud and by no means musical and his
manners were not W nsome.
"Wahoo" gave one glare In the direction
OF that towering wall of concrete with its
superstructure of wire in right field.
Then with no concern at all, he slammed
the first ball pite he'd to him over the wall
and wire into the roadway outside and
gleefully trotted around the bases.
"You amt making no home-run hits off
our pitchers this year. are you 'Eddie?"
shouted Pittsburg fan to ShortstOp Nc
Keen in a close game between Cleveland
and Pittsburg one day.
mo- said Mexican. turning around and
facing the tormentor, but I'm going to
now"
And it is part Of base ball history that
the next ball pitched to Mckeon was hit
so far into the next ward that it was
never recovered.
Say, you Georgia Peach. why don't
you steal base now and then?' yelled
young man In Philadelphia one day last
summer when the race between the tt