The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-01
KaWS Tell of Hard Luck in
Last Battles.
RankeSt Umpiring Ever on
Northern Trip.
BALL LOST IN SMOKE
Three Men Scored When an
Engine Went By.
Brandon and HOrnSby Return
With the Club.

Hard. hard luck, Well, I guess that
/ have had my share
Fortune smiles but she just gives
me the icy stare"
So might the returning Kaws sing of
their northern trip. only hard luck
isn't a name for it. Neither is any
thing else contained in the regular or
the slang dictionary. There's no name
for it. Neither is there any polite.
printable way of telling just how the
players feel about it.
For Instance.
At Sioux City in one game two men
were down and two on bases. Topeka
had the game won. A pop fly was hit
tc centerfield. About ten econds be-
fore a train had gone past the park.
Kin heard the crack of the bat
He looked in vain for the ball. He
locked at the infielder. at the out
fielders. at the grandstand. at the
black smoke. Then he heard the ball
light behind him. Everybody scored.
What happened? Why, the ball was
No one could see it. Thereby a game
was lost. Hard luck. No. Sherman's
definition of war more nearly fits it.
Another One.
AT Des Moines three men were on.
One was gone. The ball was hit Co
Cocreham with the runners standing
flatfooted near the bases. The lanky
pitched grabbed the ball. took aim and
threw to third before Emory could get
to the bag. Result: three men scored.
Another game lost.
Still Another.
Two men were out. The bases con-
tanned two or three Nice
easy fly. one of the kind the fieIders
love, was hit to left field. Manager
Gear sees it floating easily out to
him and sets himself to catch it.
Then he wind hits the ball, alters
its speed about seventeen knots.
same result.
And so it goes. You can't make
the members of the ball club be-
lieve they are down because of any
thing but hard luck. They admit that
they have played some rotten ball.
but they say they have also played
some good games and lost.
Umpires Can't See the Corners.
In addition to this, the men to a
man aver that they have gone against
the rottenest umpiring on earth.
Down in the old Texas league they |
had better umpires. For intance, it
is declared that no one who has I'M
pired where the club played this year
has given the pitchers strikes on the
balls which broke over the corner of
the plate.
When demonstrated with, one of
them told the catcher that ''he nae
caught the ball outside the plate"
And with it an outcurve, cutting the
corner. Fine.
But they are not discouraged, these
hustling ball players of Gears. They
declare it can't last. because even a
jinx will die of old age after a
while. And so they are doing their
best and trying to win every game
until it's all over.
With the kaws on their return Fri
day night came Brandon and Horns
by, the two new pitchers. They are
both looking we'll and feel confident
they can do the club some good as
well as maintain good records for
the game for a few days. Back in
the first days of long trousers
Chicks" brother playfully ported
him with about two dozen No. 4 shot.
Most of them were taken out at the
time, blu one was left in his forearm.
The doctors thought it would require
three minutes to remove it. Instead,
hour was passed in this manner.
So "Chick's' arm is a little sore now,
but he expects to get into the going
within a few days. A nerve had
grown to the shot.
Rickert's injury is an aggravation
of a former one due to IsbelIs action
in declining to allow the left fielde
a base runner. Riekert asked for
this favor and it was disallowed by
the Bald Eagle. Then Rickert pro-
ceeded to make three of the scores
acquired by the Kaws and stole two
bases. Doctors are now trying to get
his in'ards into shape again. The
original injury was received at Den
yer this spring.
Anyhow, they're here and will try
to get 'em all back.