Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-06-04

W4W the Blue JayS-tnaC famous
minor league club which
sends SO many youngsters
to the big league and takes veterans in
exchange-the first thing that the re-
cruit was likely to ask was, (Which is
him."
Nobody pretended to misunderstood
that question. The players would
point out a tall, thin man, with a wrin-
kled forehead and hair turning gray
at the temples, and the recruit would
look his fill with reverence and some
awe in his eyes. "Him" was none 9th
er than the great and only Bruno Smell
yer, "Bruno of the $4,000 ARM" and
our fathers cheered themselves hoarse
over him in the late eighties and early
%nineties.
AS the recruit took in each detail Of
face and figure he would remember
that this man was pitching no-hit
games away back in the dim and dis
tant past when it was customary for
the third baseman to wear a mustache,
and the $4,000 wing was a household
phrase before the great pitchers Of the
present day were out Of the kinder
garten.
To do the recruits justice, it was not
the sight Of n Of the former great
ones Of the diamond which moved
them so strongly, but the thought that
old Bruno was still pitching winning
ball-"still getting away with it." as
they said.
Bruno SmelZer was Il left handler.
Check over the list Of the great south
paws of the past and present. and you
will understand why ball players hold
the firm belief that every phenomenal
left handler is queer" Without wish
ing to nick the sensitive feelings Of
any gentleman who hurls them from
the port side. it may be stated that
there have been enough peculiar left
handlers to Justify the belief that side
wheelers and loose screws usually go
together.
If Bruno had an eccentricity it lay
in the almost idOlatrous worship which
he bestowed upon his $4,000 arm. If
that be an eccentricity then a red fox
is eccentric. It was nothing but the
extravagant care which Bruno lavish
ed upon his aged wing which made it
possible for him to outlast every left
handler in the business and all the
right handlers save one.
Charlie Grub was the manager and
team captain for the Blue Jays, who
held his job in spite of the fact that
he was always at war with the owner
Dave Bullen. Charlie did not have
any particular love for Bruno and
would have been glad to rid himself of
the veteran, but the only time he men
toned this to Bullen he ran head first
into a stone wall. Bullen did not
often put his foot down. but when he
did there was an end to the argument.
Dressed for public appearance, the
old man would cajole some youthful
catcher into accompanying him out be-
hind the bleachers. where not a breath
OF air was stirring. Here he would
shed his sweater and pitch for half an
hour. If the arm "felt all right" he
would work for forty-fve minutes,
after which he would put on his sweat
er again and watch the game from the
sunny end of the bench.
On the second day the entire process
would be repeated. and on the third,
II all went well, he would come out
from behind the bleachers with a
broad grin on his face.
shes there today, boys" he would
say, by which he meant that the $1O,-
900 arm was ready to earn it's salary.
BY years of practice Bruno had &C.
quired alarming proficiency in one
TRICK which no pitcher was likely to
steal from him. 1t was especially de-
signed for catching a batter off his
guard. Whenever Bruno began study
ing the ground in front Of him Sulli-
van, his veteran catcher, would know
what was coming. The old man would
stand in the box. his eyes cast down
and his head bent slightly forward.
Suddenly and without raising his head
to look at the batter he would take his
step and deliver his EAST ball, and
nine times out Of ten he would split
the heart Of the plate before the amaz-
hitter could recover from his sur
prise.
Another neat trick Of the sort reouir.
ed S%ullivan's collaboration. Ordinarily
balls against the grand stand net
ting were tossed back to the catcher
by players from the bench. When
worked Steve Sullivan did his
own retrieving. When Steve picked
up the ball he would toss it back to
Bruno. who would at once step into
n box ready to pitch. Sullivan. re-
turning to the plate. would pick I'D
his mask where he had dropped it
behind the batter and from six
to ten feet away from the plate. As
Steve picked up the mask he would
address some remark to the batter cal
to extract a reply. II the bat
ter turned his head to answer Sulli-
van would drop the mask and dive