The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-04-28
LUCK A BIG FACTOR
BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ARE
OFTEN DECIDED BY SMALL
THINGS.
HOW PITTSBURG LOST OUT
Might Have Won Great Battle of 1908
II Club Had Known Facts In Con-
test With chieago-Tinker's Stage
Fright.
BY HUGH 8. FULLERTON.


pend upon the slightest turn of the
wheel of fortune. Often a pebble,
even tough blade of grass, will turn
the entire season and make or mar
the prospects of club. Possibly the
closest shave ever a championship
club had was that of the Chicago Cubs
In 1908. That was the year that
Merkle forgot to touch second base,
the year that the Chicago club fin
ished tie with New York after beating
Pittsburg in the last game of the sea-
son, and then won the pennant and
later the worlds championship by
winning from New York in the play
off OF the tie game.
This yarn is about that last game of
the season with PittsbTg. There is
no harm in telling it now, but If the
Plttsburg club had known the facts
that day it could have claimed the
pennant and won it without an effort.
The Chicago club had been on the
road, battling desperately to hold
even with New York. The Pittsburg
team, coming from behind with tre-
mendous rush, had Unexpectedly leap
ed to the front. On that last day of
the season-Sunday, the situation was
this: New York was done. If Pitts
burg won the Pirates won the pepnant
on percentage. If Chicago won the
Cubs and New York would be exactly
tied. Chicago was baseball crazy.
Over $4,000 persons piled into the
grounds to see that struggle which
was to determine the championship of
the National league. The crowd was
banked around the playing field forty
deep and every ball that was fouled
into the crowd disappeared never to
return.
And thereby hangs this tale. Sec
rotary Williams, of the Cubs, had been
on the road with the team. When he
left home there were hundreds of balls
boxed and ready for use. he
jerked out two dozen balls,
and sent them to the umpires when
play started, but within two innings
those balls had disappeared into the
crowd and the umpires were demand
ing more. Secretary Williams, sum-
moned from his duties of watching the
crowds, rushed for new balls and to
his dismay discovered that only bare
half dozen balls were left. The others
had disappeared. Not ball that was
fouled off was coming back into play
and it was certain that the half dozen
new balls would not last more than
an inning or two. Failure to furnish
balls meant forfeiture of the game and
the pennant for Pittsburg and it was
certain that Manager Clarke would
not hesitate to seize the advantage.
The situation called for action. and
Secretary Williams acted
It was Sunday and Spalding's store
was closed, but inside of three min
utes an automobile containing one of
the park employees armed with key
to the store was racing down Jackson
boulevard TO bring balls. Meantime
Secretary Williams, with bushel of
practice balls, balls that had been
used and were being kept for morning
practice work, was clinging to a
screen on top of the stand watching
each ball that was fouled off. Every
ball that he saw go into or over the
stand and disappear he replaced with
a practice ball tossed onto the field
near the umpires.
In spite of his work there were only
four balls in the hands of the umpires.
Neither Clarke nor the umpires de-
tected the trick. By the fifth inning
seven balls were in the hands of the
fouled off four rapidly, and watch as
he could Williams could only get one
back onto the field. Two more were
fouled off, An honest fan over in the
right field crowd threw back one. He
did not know it, but his honesty may
have saved the pennant for the Cubs.
The supply had dwindled until the
umpire was demanding balls when
that one came back and it gave Will
Jams a new chance. He took desper-
ate chances and threw three more
balls onto the field, all from different
points on top of the stand, and with
out arousing suspicion. Meantime the
man who had gone after new balls
had been held up for speeding on the
return trip from the store and was
delayed ten minutes. The situation
was desperate in the seventh inning
when the auto flashed up in front of
the Office, and a few moments later
Secretary Williams was able to fur
nish new balls as fast as the umpires
demanded them and the danger was
past.
"The only time I ever got stage
fright" relates Joe Tinker. the actor