The Detroit times., 1911-02-01
MON ROE'S
FIRST
GLiM PSE.

I, town. Unless an S|i"rSI
other delve into>
history reveals something more that
has escaped memory, the Ttges' Mon
roe inaugural occurred on the spring
! trip of 1903. This was the club which
Ed Barrow managed, with George
| Smith captain.
I'VE we're i'm Monroe for just one
game" recounts my informant. That
| furnished us enough excitement TO
tEst-fef- some time The Town then
supported. a team in the Cotton States
league This aggregation was tull or
ambitious youngsters from up north
and was a right nifty aggregation.
They had a young left-hander on the
mound that was using everything ne
had and could get il over the plate,
too
NAL Eason started for Detroit and
was found for a couple OF runs IN the
first three innings when he gave
way 10 Frank Kitson. Kitson's curve
hadn't put In an appearance YET and
Frank was a mark for the Monroe
batsmen. In the three innings that
he occupied the slab, Monroe scored
five runs more.
"The score was To when. in the
seventh. Wild Bill Donovan walked
out on tho firing line.
Elm those years Bill used TO do
quite a bit of pitching in the spring.
The day was warm and he was there
with all his old smoke He whined
three batsmen with neatness and dis
patch. The Tigers got couple OF
hits in their half of the eighth, but
nfIf
and famed the side again.
Then the ninth for Detroit and
things broke loose. The Monroe
southpaw began TO weaken. The boys
hit him hard and he went wild. A
succession OF long blows, mixed In
with two or three bases on balls and
hit batsman, gave Detroit eight
runs.
THE crowd begged the Monroe
players TO come back in the home
teams half OF the final inning but
Wild Bill wouldn't consider letting
'em-no, not for a minute. With neat
ness and dispatch he famed three
batsmen and the game was over. De-
troit winning. s to Z.
talk about your sore crowds,
''Why that mob ut Monroe refused
pointblank TO go home. Everybody
hung around to hand II to the Detroit
PLAYERS when they emerged from the
gate.
THE street leading from the ball
ward runs for some distance through a
gully with high. clay sides. Along
the tops OF these ridges gathered the
able-bodied citizens OF Monroe. In
their hands they held large gobs or
the red. Louisiana mud with which
the region abounded As our bus
came along they let fly. For two
blocks or so we ran gauntlet. Those
bugs had speed and control IL seem
ed as III there wasn't handful OF
Monroe, La, flung I'm our direction
that didn't spat squarely on Its mark.
You should have seen that ball club
when IL got back to it's hotel!'
II was Abe Attell's numerous bone
that he broke at Cleveland. but Abe
will be long time seeing anything
funny in that.
Wonder why Charlie Schmidt didn't
tip Hughie Jennings on to the star kid
brother catcher that one OF the rival
American league clubs has picked up.
Too bad that Connie Mack couldn't
turn young Mr.. Derrick over to some
club that needs him worse! or what
use is a derrick to a worlds cham
pion?
Expressions OF the welcome-home
order that have been pouring in on
the carpenter of these words are
pleasant indeed. but the acme OF APP
probation Is due the old friend who
didn't forget, in all these months,
even the pet brand of ''rnakin's."