Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-12
DENT WRITESOF
HIS START IN
"BUSH" LEAGUE
Breaking Into Majors Is Not as
Hard a Task, So Thinks
Cracker HurIer.
BY Elliott Dent.


story Breaking in the Big
League" You have had an on
portunity to judge the exact feeling
OF those players undergoing that ex-
perienCe. But did II ever occur TO
you that breaking in the bush league :
furnished quite as many thrills and
moments OF anxiety?
in breaking in the majors fellow
realizes that he is undertaking quite
8 task and is aiming at the very top
Of the so-called ladder of fame as A
ball player.
They feel that even should they
fail to hit the mark and have TO fan
they viii land in a minor league
where the stars Of the game must
come in the course Of time.
T HE husher can not entertain that
same feeling OF satisfaction, for
once he fails to show the class re-
quired he drops and there is no foun-
dalton below TO catch him.
Ny experience as a writer being
very limited, will not attempt a
story which would cover the subject
Breaking In the Bushes" but VIII
give nv own experience in as few
words as possible.
I T WAS the year 1909 and I wore
the uniform representing the lit
tie city Of Winston Salem, N c. I
will never forget my first impression
Of the town. I landed there aboIt
noon on the day set for reporting
The. daily papers had notified the
fans that the players were coming or
that March day. All the town boys
were at the station to meet each
train rs II blew in Every husky
looking man who stepped off the
trains was followed by this mob Of
boys until he went to a stop at some
hotel. No travelling salesman escaped
the anxious eyes of those kids-n'T
did l. They met me and asked all
the questions necessary to find out II
! was a candidate for the team.
was directed to the managers
office, who greeted me with a hearty
handshake and congratulated me on
being the first player to arrive in
camp.
He spoke very encouragin "fy from
the very start and said l even looked
like a ball player. ] suppose ne liked
the way l carried my grip
Each train brought in new faces
until the roster numbered about 25,
hut what bothered me was the great
number Of pitchers.
When ! left home the boys said, IF
you don't make good the home nine
will welcome you back" but / could
not bear to think Of having to go
home and say Il couldn't make good"
Yet, what a proposition l was Up
against
Thirteen pictchers from which only
four we're to be chosen. Most of them
had hat some experience and did not
seem to be at all worried-nor did
let it be known that ! was.
THE training began in earnest with
L in q few days. OF course, our
limbs were very sore after the pre-
urinary workouts and our anxiety to
make a good impression probably led
us to go about our work little too
strenuously.
In n short while the pink slips were
being passed out as regularly as the
daily mails and each one of us was
on the anxious bench at all times.
The pitching staff dwindled daily
until II reached the small number of
FIVE. One Of this number had TO
60. There were two OF these who
were looked upon as certainties.
With practically no experience felt
myself slipping The season opened
and found me still hanging on. hang
game lost the second, also the third.
/ had to he satisfied to watch those
games from the narrow end of the
bench. Tho fourth day was a very
dark and cloudy day, in fact it had
rained some and looked as though Jup
Pmvius would take the game out OF
our hands. The pitcher who was
gToomed for duty was wise old
pitcher of many years experience. He
vas not a rainy-da pitcher and feel
ing that his berth on the team was
al stake as the result OF that game
he asked the manager to use one of
the other men, saying his arm was
a little sore.
I HEARD him, and realizing that was
l my chance and itching to get In
a game | asked the manager to put
me in and he did
I won the game, allowing only four
hits. | also won the next four and
cinched my job as regular pitcher.
The memory of that cloudy day has
always been more precious to me
than any day of the rarest sunshine,
for it enabled me to go home and say
to the boys: Il made good in the
lea