Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-05-01

rUr IA nas 0ay. zNso sSsn nAaaA naan, -
time start to slide into the bases when
he would be 20 feet way, and nine times
out OF ten he'd make it.
IAN the spectators would see would
be a cloud of dust. Billy was such q
twister that 1t was almost impossible for
a baseman to get the ball on him.
"Billy played in the field and. believe
me, he could cover a lot of groun too.
In those days Billy was the same good
fellow that he is today. only he hadn't
got religion. He was q favorite with
everybody on the club. and especially
with the fans. He was q great 'kidder,'
too, and no matter what they hurled at
him from the stands, he came right back
at 'em with a still hotter one. Maybe
you've noticed he's some talker today"
Mr.. Sundays own version of his
work and his success in it does not
materially differ from that of Mr..
Thompson:
81 never was an extra heavy batter
he says, but | used to strike around $50
o. 800 in the batting percentage. Where
I excelled was in speed, and I always led
the batting order. because I was a dam
gerous man to have on bases with heavy
batters behind me-"
OF Mr.. Sundays agility, there seems
to be no shadow of a doubt. Current
sporting writer's compare him to Ty
Cobb and others in the lime light at
the present moment. He is given
credit for establishing the mark Of
encircling the bases from a standing
start in Ia seconds. IN achievement
calculated to try the wind and limb
of the most perfect athlete. One base
ball writer says:
'He probably caused more wide throws
than any other player the game has ever
known, because of his specially of going
down TO first like a streak of creased
electricity. When he hit the ball, infield-
ers yelled Hurry 1t upf The result was
that they often threw 'em away He
was acknowledge champion sprinter of
the National league. This led to q
match race once with Arlie Latham, who
held Hike honors In the American. Billy
won by ID feet-and with SIS, 900 of Chi
cage money up on the race"
More than the contest with speea,
however, in this particular instance,
was a contest that went on within
the breast of the young baseball star,
who at the time had been recently
converted. At a luncheon rendered
to him in one of the clubs at Column
bus, MI. Sunday gave his own YER
sion of the race with Arlie Latham:
~When I played ball I could outrun any
man in the National league" he said.
"Arhe Latham could do the same In the
American league, SO we fixed 1t up to
- G.-1- -nA
in the meantime l got converted. i went
to Cap Arson and said, Cap, l can't do
it. Tn converted an I can't run that
race on Sunday Cap said to me, bill,
don't show the white feather. We've
got $4,000 bet on you and all the boys
have bet their last cent on you. II you
DENT win that race heyl have to eat
snowballs next winter. You go down to
st. Louis and run that race and FIX It up
with God afterwards
well, / ran the race and 1 beat La
ham by Is feet and came home with my
pockets full of money. I then went be-
fore the P~resbytery and told 'em all and
stuck to the church, and after eight
years they ordained me as a minister.
And then the other day Westminster
gave me an honorary ID. D. Say, that's
going some for an old sport that's ncvel
seen the inside of a college, isn't it?"
Another speed contest which at
tracted national attention at the time
was an unexpected "go" with Fl. U.
Johnson, a man very well known. In
his day. AS the South Bend Tribune"
tells 1t:
an the spring of 1887, without any
special training or previous experiences
in that specific athletic line, .withou,
practice in understanding and without
words of encouragement from friends to
spur him on, Sunday came within an
ace OF lowering the coiors OF II. u. John
son, who at that time was heralded as
the fastest runner of the day.
Sunday accepted a challenge, left the
diamond for the day, donned a track suit.
u his spikes into the sands of the track
at Chicago beach,, on Lake Michigan, and
raced Johnson who was In the pink of
condition. and who had Just returned
from capturing the Sheffield champion
ship in England.
1--WE started off like a shot, said sum
day while in q reminiscent mood the 9TH
err day. I was used to speedy work on
the diamond but not on a straight track.
] led johnson for 80 yards, and then he
began to crawl up on me. Everything
blurred before me. The crowd seemed to
swim before my eyes as / ram, but 1 could
see the nnlSn line BettlnB nearer ana
nearer. The distance was 100 yards.
johnson and / neared the line neck-and-
neck. He ran lower h l did and
breasted the tape just six inches ahead
of me and won.
The timers had six watches on us.
Three caught US at 10 seconds fiat and
three at 94-5 seconds. After the race
Johnson turned, grasped my land and
told me that in two weeks time he could
train me SO that I could beat him by
five feet with but a little training I
said. nothing doing. though n went
back to the diamond and played"
Quoting from another article:
Sunday probably has the longest lower
leg. that Is. from the knee TO the foot of