Morris tribune., 1917-06-22
OLD TIMER TELLS OF
OLD TIME BALL GAME
Morris Put Over a Slick Play the
Benson Boys Didn't Know
About

The old settler entererd the Dutch
barber shop the other morning seem
ingly much more spritely than usu-
al with a CHEEKY good morning,
Jake" "Cut out dat stuff" returned
Dutch this amt morning. Been here
since the whistle blew and you suck
ers make me tired saying morning.
Better be careful, Dad" said Tim
Collins. "You see, Jake isn't feeling
we'll this morning; he had to take
nap after he swept out, because
doc" Brandmo and Joe Carrier
didn't get around on time"
Say, Dad" chimed in John, did
you see the Morris-Benson ball game
Sunday"
Sure" replied the old man. ut
was pretty good game, but not in
it with the first game between Morris
and Benson 1 saw years ago. Let's
see, that must have been the year of
the centennial. No, it wasn't either,
for 1 remember when came into see
that game, the boys were talking
about Hoban's having got back two
or three weeks before from getting
married, and I saw in the Review a
while ago that that was just forty
years ago."
Say, Dad" said Tim, tell us
what you remember about that
game"
WELL" unused the old man, 1.-The
Duffy boys had moved out here from
Rhode Island that spring and they
had been ball players in a good team
back there and they used to come in
from their claims and talk ball until
they got Rod Dunn, Geo. Fridd and
Walter Poland so worked up that
they decided Benson ought to have a
club and sure enough they did get
things going. Who were the Duties?
Why, Paddy was just about the slick
est short stop Swift county ever had.
Sure, you know old Pat, he still lives
out in Maryland, but poor old Jim
has been dead several years. Jim was
our pitcher and while he lacked the
curves we have nowadays, he sure
could throw ball. By gum, l had
rather see Jim throw the old time
ball than see Skinner shoot them
over, and Skinner sure is a good one,
too"
Lets see, Gale Haines usually
caught for us but in this Morris
game the boys had sent down to De-
Graft and got Jim Richmond to come
up. Except Johnny Murphy, Rich
mond was the slickest catcher I ever
saw, not barring some of the good
leaguers 1 have seen. Somebody told
me the other day that Richmond
was living in Chicago now"
''Who else was in the team, Dad?"
asked John.
well, for this game, Haines
played first and played it we'll. Geo.
Fridd went into the left pasture, but
he had an off day and didn't put up
the game he usually did. Who was
Fridd? He was Eric Stones part
ner in the implement business and
moved away about 1880. Rod Dunn,
who ran the Benson House before the
Aldrichs bought it and who started
the Dunn House at MOntevideo, then
held down second, and Delos Bundy
the druggist, looked after the third
sack"
Lets see, who was in the other
fields? Oh yes! Will Gordon, OF
course, was out in right while Car
penter Stanley was in middle.
Morris came down with theil
team all ready and got on their toes
to lick us; but, by gum, they couldn't
do it.
will Munro, the old newspaper
man and now a postal inspector, lee
the bunch, and Jack Morris, son Of
the man the town was named after
caught His old man was the heaC
of the surveying department Of the
railroad. They came down logged
out in yellow linen pants and blue
caps, while our boys wore dark col
ored trousers and caps. We started
in and Gordon got to first on balls
Pat got a hit as he usually did, anC
by some hook or crook, Dunn also go
a walk. This filled the bases and
tell you our people were yelling lik'
mad and Jim Richmond came up
Jim had on his old soft legged boot
and he hitched them up and spit OF
his hands and waited. He hit two O.
three fowls and then Eagan got owe
two strikes and then he slipped owe
third good one which Jim missed
Morris was a slick one and put III
a play most Of our boys didn't know
about. He muffed the ball but didn'
let it get by, then he picked it up
when Jim started for first, stepped
to the plate, fired it to third and
went to second, and as the rules the1
were the side was out. We wanted t.
mob Az Clauccn who was umpirini
for allowing it, but the rules wer
dead plain and against us. The
Morris stepped in and put up q hit
ling stroll ard cot five rims TIL