The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-08-10

Fred Morhlo sizes up ~ ono OF The
most remarkable mon iu baseball.
Seven years or 50 aga he pulls Il
"p"nvt.' H. was Il slip OF mental cable
that woulu nave been excused 30 times
ont of 100. Eut that was the huulrcdth
time. Mcrkl"'S misp.ay cost the Now
York Giants the championship Of the"
National league and deprived them of
II split ur the world series gold.
And from that day to this he has
been the target for sarcasm. For two
or three years after that incident his
every appearance on the ball field was
greeted with boots. lie was jccrcd at,
scOncd ut and spoofcd wherever he
went. He was ridiculcd aud his name
became n synonym for "bonchcad."
The treatment accorded Mcrklc
would have broken the spirit Of any
other man. II would have affected his
work TO such an extent that not only
would he have skiddcd out of the ma.
jors, but would have landed eventually
In the baseball scrap heap. 1t was the
sur VI treatment lllll 'AllS u lllil WIN
iron villa man filled with the door
die spirit-could have submitted to-
and lived through. And Mcrkle Is that
man.
Despite Jeers Becomes Star.
For seven years he has remained in
the same uniform that he "diScrcdit-
ed" For seven years he has played II
brand of baseball that marks him rs
one of the most valuable q Z In the
Giant machine; one Of the best first
huSemcn In the land. lie has played
always To hostile crowds always be-
fore people who were cunning" for
him. lie knew that every second he
IA being watched; that the slightest
slip would bring renewed boots and
Kisses ana Jccrs.
II has been seven years and a bit
longer since Mcrklc pulled his "boncr'
and Mcrklc today Is playing n better
brand of all-Uround baseball than he
did earlier In his career; playing It I'm
face OF open opposition not only
abroad but among the home town fQuS.
Fred Mcrklc Is the most courageous
man that ever dOnncd Il baseball uni
FORM" vas the compliment John Nc
Graw paid 20 him some time ngO. "Ilc
stands out today ms an heroic figure
Of bravery and gamcncss In face Of
terrific obstacles"
How "Boner" Was Pulled.
The Mcrkle 'honcr' Is fresh In the
minds of the fans OF eight and ten
years ago, but a new generation has
arisen since then. For Its benefit the
story OF the "boncr" Is here rctold.
The mlsplay was made On the Polo
grounds, September %. 1908, In the
presence Of Il $1,000 crowd. When the
Giants went to bat In the last half Of
the ninth the score stood ] TO /. by
the time two men were out Mccormick
was on third, Mcrkle on first and Bird
we'll at the plate.
Bridwell shot II single over second
base and Mccormick raced home with
what seemed to be the winning run.
But IL wasn't. Mcrkle, instead OF run
ming to second base and touching II,
suffered n mental lapse In his citation
over what seemed to be n Giant vic
tory which would have cinched the
pennant.
Merkle never touched second base,
but dctoured on his way and raced into
the clubhouse. Johnny Eyers, playing
second for the Cubs that day, noticed
Mcrkle's "bOner" and knew that II he
could get back the ball and touch sec
ond base before Mcrkle he would force
u Merkle, making the third out and
nulllng McCorinick's winning" run.
MeGlnnlty's Plan Fooled.
Evers yelled TO Hoffman, who grab.
bed the ball and threw toward second.
However, the crowd already had
jumped upon the field and the ball, In
stead Of going direct to Evers, hit n
Of the spectators and was detected.
by this time Joe McGlnnity, the Giant
pitcher, sensed that something was
"ong, lie rushed onto the crowded