Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-14
PAT MORAN SHES AT PHILLIES- FOOTBALL NOTES
THREE AND TWO
"Gabby" Aside From Burning Up the League IN Hitting
and Throwing, Teaches the Boys Few Things
About the Gentle Game of Poker
By CHARLES E. VAN LOAN
Tn. yvorid,s Most Famous Writer OF Baseball Fiction

Of the fighters catalogue, as well as the
Gabbv was solid" with the Tourists
by the time they packed their traps ana
started North. He was one OF Sne
bunch" though II was full month pe-
fore he had a chance In real game.
Roe was a cautious manager. who be.
leyed in using an old and experienced
player until he could stand the pace no
longer Phil McCarty, the former star
catcher, has seen his best1days, ana ms
throwing arm was dying m its socket.
The dummy played behind the bat FOR
three davs i'm succession; and the show
ing which he made was McCartys death
warrant Gabby hoped brtskly INTO the
front rank as a catcher; and though
working against dangerous base-runners,
Nelliran broke up their attack, |headed
nm" their fastest men on the bases and
added to the batting strength OF his own
team with seven smashing hits in three
games.
OF course. the newspaper men called at
tention to the fact that they had prom
ieed that Gabby would be a sensation-a
safe bet because the training-quarter
savants make the same prophecy about
every recruit-the fans said welcome 10
our city!" and Jim Penny went around
swelled out of all human form.
Gabby liked baseball for Its own sake,
and the month on the bench had not been
a pleasure to him. The time had not been
wasted however, for Gabby had en-
ployed himself in getting a line on OPP
posing batsmen; and those athletes would
nave been amazed and panied had they
known how accurately the silent recruit
had wedged their weak points.
There may be one or two batters with
out a weakness, but they are about as
scarce as gUlden eagles nests. The man
who massacres a fast, straight ball Is
usually helpless before slow curve, ana
some men cannot hit a shoulder-high
ball safe to save their lives 1t Is the
catcher's business to study the weak
nesses of hitters; and II is the pitchers
business, as much as In him lies, to feed
the hitter the sort of a strike ball for
which he has the least use. Gabby
looked them all over from the bench,
made an entry or two in little pocket
cook, and was ready when the time
came.
Py the end Of the first season, tne
TcuristA we're rechristened TIRE "Dum-
mics" and proud of 1t, the name COM
ihG from she fact that all tha fNgulprs
were expert in the finger alphabet. as
| well MS novel and compl!cdttd system
of playing signals. Gabby was the pivot
on which the team revolved. THere was
! a noticeable improvement IN inside play
| both at attack and defense and this
might have been traced 10 the fact that
:,;ev had Cne of the "sm1rtest' catchers
in the business
Gahby lad awake at nights Planning
new plays and notifications Of old ones
| built abound his phenomenal throwing
| arm, and Cuachers watched him for SIS
mails, only to discover that they never
! knew what he was going 10 DO with the
| ball until he had done 1t, AMI then 1t was
| too late.
A top-nrtch pitcher or two raisht have
| helped the Dummies into the rennaut-
winning class; but, even with a pitching
staff which was. at most nothing re-
markable, they managed to hang on In
the first division, always in the running
nightmare to those behind them, and
a menace &c those in front.
CONTINUED TOMORROW