Fergus County Democrat., 1913-10-14

make good so much the better. ANY
batter facing a pitcher knows that
the pitcher has just as many worries
as he, and the advantage is with the
chap who worries the least
Just then there was yell from first
base like that OF Comanche Indian.
1t was Jack Miller believing:
"Come on, Ham, and get busy"
Dots tossed a first baseman's mitt
on the bag and beckoned for Ham to
do the first-basing during the Pirates
fielding practice.
"Well, / must be a-going," said Ham,
You see I'm jack-of-all-trades around
here and master of none, and for a
while I'm going to practice at first
base. The only chance l have of ever
getting that job is for Miller to break
both legs. So long"
And the greatest pinch-hitter in the
world was soon showing his useful
ness at the initial corner while Miller
engaged some of the others in an
"oof" game or something. Miller
doesn't need the practice and Ham
does, as he gets but little real work
aside from his pinch hitting.
Pittsburg Gazette Times: "He has
been doing the unexpected all his life"
! laughed Fred Clarke the other night
in discussing Hans Wagner's peculiar
traits. "Ill never forget the first time
l ordered him to bunt.
1T was in Louisville back in 1897.
Honus had been with us only few
days. / didn't know him then as
know him now. We were playing
| &<~I,, 1i1
pitching against us. We were not hit
ting Jess and as l had noticed the
Dutchman to be fast l asked him if
he could bunt. He said he could try.
$50 told him to lay one down the
third base line to try and get on. He
selected a bat for the purpose and
while we sat back watching for his
bunt he didn't do thing but knock
the ball clear over a distillery for a
home run.
"The next time his turn came, l
asked him if he thought he could bunt
another one like that. He never
cracked a smile but said he thought
he could. He did. The first good one
Tannehill served, Honus cracked it
over the same distillery. They were
two of the longest home runs l ever
saw and on those two smashes over
that old Louisville distillery we beat
Tannehill that day to O."
Murder will out And so will a MUIR
derous decision by an umpire that
robbed a deserving ball club of a pen
nant, says the Gazette Times. A Chi
cago woman has sued the Chicago
baseball club for $4,000 damages for
injuries sustained on Sunday, Oct. 4,
| 1908, when she was hit on the knee
by batted ball, said ball being batted
by Edward Abbaticchio, then a mem
ber of the Pittsburg baseball club, but
at present hotelkeeper in this city
Runners were on first and second
with none out in that memorable
game that lost pennant for Pitts
burg and won for the Cubs, who later
cinched the title by winning the play
off with the Giants, resulting from
Hank O'Day's decision on Merkle
The crowd that day was in against the
outfielders, and hit into the crowd
was good for two bases.
1t was Abbaticchio's turn at bat
with runners on first and second anC
none out, in the final game of the sea
sui Ildl ucdHJ lIlc pcuuduL LOT flllS
burg if they won, but positively elimi
} mated them if they lost 1t looked
like Abby's place to bunt and advance
: the two men. Clarke, however, callet
him to one side, and as Jack Ffeister
a left-hander, was pitching, Clarke
whispered:
Don't bunt. Crack the first on,
through that looks good.'
: Abbaticchio hit one down over frs
base, four feet fair, into the crowd
Wagner scored, another runner movet
to third and Abbey stood on second
with none out and Alan Storke at bat
A hit meant two runs, the game an,
, the pennant for Pittsburg. Above tn
tumult of the frenZied Chicago crow,
rose the voice of O'Day calling Abby
} hit foul.
The scene beggars description, bu
: the wrangling did no good. Abby wa
? forced to bat over and he vent out
l The side was retired. Pittsburg di
5 not get run. They lost the gam