Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-11
BY j. w. Heisman.

~ TRANGELY enough the longest
hit and the best throw I ever
saw made in a baseball game
were both made by amateur players,
not by professionals.
The hit occurred during a game be-
tween Princeton and Pennsylvania
at Philadelphia in the spring of 1890.
Up to that time Princeton had never
beaten Pennsylvania a game of base
ball in their lives. and that day she
was destined once more to go down
in defeat to the Quakers.
1t was about the sixth inning. and
as yet neither side had scored. Penn
had a runner on second base
and two men were down. Captain
Young was I'm the box for Princeton,
and a grand pitcher he was.
Up TO the plate steps our center
fielder, Jim Watts. a raw boned rail-
splitter from Minnesota. He was
about 6 feet inches in the vertical
direction, and about 1-2 feet across
the shoulders, but as lean as
hound. He always used an eXcep-
tionally long stick, and he clutched
It at the extreme end.
Young looked him over, but evil
IDENTIFY wasn't worried much
about him. for Watts had done moth
ing his first two times at the platter
The Princeton captain turned loose
neat drop for the first ball, and it
came squarely over the plate and just
hairs breadth above Watts knee.
Watts. hitting left handed, swung
that long pole down OFF his shoulder
and made the prettiest golf drive of
il you ever saw. The way that drop
ball pumped right down onto the
nose of that bat would have maze
you think that Watts had been hold
ing his bat right there all the time
as a target for Young 10 hit. and
that Young had shown unerring skill
In thus plunking the bali right on the
upcoming bat. WE'LL wonder II
that ball isn't going yet. No one
ever saw it again. so It may be.
OUR right field fence at Penn, on
~ the old athletic field, was
about ESQ feet away. Then, just on
the outside. was Spruce Street. then
came the main building Of the Uni
versity Veterinary Department. a
building fully 40 feet wide. and three
stories high. Then came a narrow
vacant lot, and after that odd Block
ley" a city hospital, and big one,
can tell you.
Well. sir. that ball started of like
a skyrOcket At first everybody
thought 1t was bound TO hit the fence
at least. which would score the run
ner on second and give US one tally,
anyway II scored him all right, but
IL didn't hit the fence. No, il dis
dained so lOwly a thing as a mere
fence. Ii simply kept on travelling,
and by the time il scared over the
fence it appeared to be about a quar-
ter Of a mile high. over Spruce
Street il sailed majestically. Float
ing over the Veterinary Building il
looked Just like a balloon that has
started on an international long dis
lance matCh--distanCe oh. so very
small and distant. The whole crowd
was on its feet. The Penn rOoters
had gone mad with joy and noise.
WagOnhuTst, our runner on second,
had arrived at the plate on schedule
time. and was now standing with the
Princeton catcher shading his eyes
and looking after the departed planet
A CROSS the vacant lot the ball
n flew. and then. at last. it seemed
10 be approaching terra firma again,
or else BIOCkley was jumping up to-
roof of Old Blockley appeared TO col
Tide something like what seemed an
agile after Watts swat, and there
came a high bound Of the hOrse-hide
that all could see. Then on its way
IL went again. bounding and bound
ing over the roof of the big build
ing ever away from US, until il was
completely lost 10 view.
How far do ] guess Not an inch
less than $50 feet before it stopped
altogether. If il ever did, is my
guess.
After that Young made a balloon
ascension OF his own. and Penn won
by the score Of s to o.
It HE best throw I ever saw in
game was made by Chip Robert
about four years a go in a game be-
tween Tech and Trinity College out
at Tech Park.
u was the first half Of the last in