Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-03
LITTLE ION SMITH
HAS KIND WORDS
FOR BEATEN TIGERS
Original Bengal ROOter Witt
nesses Game from the J
Fence. III

er@HE wind that swept across sne
infeld and the outield of We'd
anmaver's Park today was
bleak ana drear, but 1t was no moFe
drear than the heart of Thomas smith,
aged IL, who saw the game yesterday
from the top of the fence, ano wall
never be the same happy. rolllckins
child. he was before Connie MACK
Athletics trimmed the Tigers by the
| s~oul-searing score of IL to ..
For Tommy Smith had been the
original Newark rooter of the season
of 1911. Away back in midwinter'
when McGinnity hrst went out 10 a
park laying plans for the new neio
and diamond he came upon the urehih
sitting ON a stone. Every day tnere-
after for weeks he saw him there ana
finally he took notice
For heavens sake, kid. he demand
ed, what are 0 doing out here in
this ~blizzard?"
The shivering lad arose from hs
| stone, half inclined to run and nall
inclined to speak. Then, timioiy'
Were maxim up u ball nine' mis-
ter. The Tiger Juniors, they ale, ana
I'm captain, and l been thinking mis-
ter, If you might be willln TO gave Me
Ln HQGuD 0 yOuI t6d4l 49,
game SOS ] kin name my own men
an fix EN- in dere places"
McGinnity -laugned-Ihen the pathos
of Tommy Smith struck I'M. Inc IN
midwinter, with the SNOW falling and
an Arctic wind shrilllng over the
grounds the manage OIL the Tigers sat
down on the rock and gave the little
| enthusiast a faithful list of h lineup.
AN yer goin' to win that frs game.
amt yer?" asked Tommy Smith with
confidence.
sure" said McGinnity. Anyway,
you keep roofing and Tommy Smith
said from his soul, You bet"
Yesterday afternoon found Captain
| Thomas Smith, of the Tiger Juniors,
| and Fatty Jones, his substitute first
baseman, waiting breathiessly outside
the bali park fence three hours before
the game was scheduled. They shtg-
| cred and shook-tor 1t was another
cold day-but they held their heads Oh
the cold ground with eyes glued to u
hole they had dug beneath the fence,
and when the first of the two teams
cantered out for practise Tommy Smith
jumped up in an ecstacy:
"NoW boost me, Fatty" he cried ex-
citedly. Boost me up I'll call down
everything l see."
HUH! / guess not" revolted Fatty.
"Guess l got ez much right t see tn
game ez yuh have, Tommy Smith.
Sides 4 l boost you up, who's goin' Z
boost nle?'
Nobody cud boost yuh. anyways,
Fatty Jones, fer yer too fat. Anyways.
I'm captain O. the Tiger JUNIORS an
If yuh don't boost me, I'll get skinny
Brown fer sub first baseman."
Still grumbling, but b~rowbeaten.
Fatty Jones lent his husky shoulder to
the feet of Tommy Smith and showed
him grudgingly up the fence-side. Il
hope the Phlllies win!" he called w as
a parting shot of envy.
"Tll kick tn stuffin' out'n yuh fer
that wen / get down." said Tommy
Smith with shaking fist.
The game was on. For those first
two innings, while Cleary held the
champions to goose eggs. Tommy
Smith flung himself about that fence
top in n continued whirl Of estate
gymnastics. He flung up his cap he
yelled encouragement TO Newark and
cursed the visitors, and he ever stood
on his head when Benny Meyer swung
the two-base slam In the first,
"Hey!" yelled Fatty Jones from the
bottom of the fence. why don't yuh
pipe us off wot's doin'."
Were winnin'i" cried Tommy Smith.
I'VE got EN- jes as Joe McGinnity
says we'd do las winter"
But, of course, we hadn't got 'em.
Half an hour after that Tommy Smith
climbed ruefully down from the top of
the fence. There were tears In his eyes
that he brushed away with a dirty fist
and his heart was in his mouth. The
Athletics had already run up nine
runs.
Fatty Jones, unfortunately, was not
a diplomat.
Didn't I tell yer?" he demanded,
with a touch of malice. Didn't I tell
yer we'd get licked?"
That was too much for the bursting
heart of the original Tiger rooter. He
pounced upon his substitute frst-base-
man and trounced him then and
there.
"S'pose they did beat us, Fatty
JONES' said Tommy Smith, standing
over the skeptic's fallen body. "S'pose
they did! Yuh couldn't expect us Z
beat tn worlds champs, wen we've
only had a weeks practise, cud yerf'
N SIRE not =" ".hiinnered the has
tened Fatty. Wen win the pennauf
tho, Tommy, f you'll femme up"