The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-08-15
ANCIENT WILDCATS
nose OUT BULLDOGS
Old Time Baseball Players
France and CayOrt at
Annual Game.
GIVE ANNALS OF PAST
Youngsters Of 55 and 60 Can't
Hold Candle to SO Year
Vets Of Other Days.
GIVE ANNALS OF PAST

ShuckS, said Capt. Charles Arnold
OF the West Babylon Wildcats, "they
amt man on my team that's 70
years old, an yet them youngsters of
55 and GO can't hold a candle to the
old Wildcats. Why, 1 remember as a
boy seem old Rufus Duryea come out
on this very field on his 9Sth birthday
an pitch a thirteen inning game. An
he sent ball over into the pond there.
400 feet If it's an inch, right after his
kid brother Eleazer-he was 81 then
went round the bases in record time.
Why, In them days
Just then two or three OF ten or
twelve umpires scattered here and
there on the diamond called out, "Play
balli' IF you'll excuse me-" said
Charlie, "I'm needed" The game be-
tween the Babylon Bulldogs and the
West Babylon Wildcats was on. All
Babylon was there to see. The regu-
lar home team was playing Bayshore,
but everybody came to see the old
timers. Not man on either team
was 20 De uuQeI oV.
The Lindenhurst band. sitting in the
grandstand, struck up 'In the Good Old
Summer Time" That was the latest
bit Of syncopation out Of Tin Pan Alley
In the Lindenhurst repertory.
4 Age Limit Gets Chill.
The Wildcats won. 20 to Is. At the
t&n~ 20 Rt11i6
haA q lead Of seven runs. but about that
time something began to happen to the
ago average among the West Babylon
oidsters Player after player began to
look younger. At the beginning OF the
seventh q stripping Of 10 stepped Into
the box for the Wildcats and there were
no more runs for Babylon.
Considered strictly on its merits as
track meet, 1t was good game. There
was fine fifty yard sprint between Bill
Resket shortstop for the Bulldogs, and
Jack Baldwin in left field when Ed
Northum of the Wildcats lifted one just
over Baldwin's head That Is. 1t was
fifty Yards for Reskey and about ten
for Baldwin. but they finished together
and played hockey with the ball. For
some reason or other the players wore
Stoves, but they fielded barehanded
you see, In the old days" said Capt.
Joe Keenan, Of the Bulldogs. we used
to let the older men, the fellers over 95.
play with gloves, because when a man
gets along to that time of life his bones
y brittle and we weren't talxin' no
chances. This here Cap'n Peter Fitzurse
been readin' so much about, came
down to Babylon once when he was In
his prime--about rs he was-and
pitched for us. That was when hs'd
already lost them three fingers of his
that a shark bit off in the South Sea
Islands. But with two fingers an a
thumb he pitched some of the gosh
dangest curves was ever put on ball.
Why, in them days"
They AmbIed Along.
Just then great shout rose from the
bleachers. Old Jack Williams third
baseman for the Wildcats. who weighs
a little less than Big Bill Edwards, was
moving majestically from third in the
general direction of home. Just over
his head fioated the ball. thrown in from
left field 1t was all very much like
one of these slow motion movies in
which you see one leg lifting up after
the other with the speed of drawbridge
opening.
well. as I was sayin'." resumed
Toe Keenan,. eve played some ball in the
cid days. Ellis Taylor. there. the Town
Clerk. that's pitchin' for US. can tell you
bout an uncle of his. who got his left
arm shot off at Bull Run. but was the
best centre fielder the old Bulldogs ever
had. Played with his one arm till he
was %. Course he couldn't bat much,
but he was good man to send in for
bunt"
The Lindenhurst Band was playing
When You and Were Young, Maggie"
when Charlie Arnold, the Wildcat cap
tain, strolled up.
You know" he said, ct feel kinda
ashamed I'm not playin' myself to-day.
I'm only IS. and on the old Wildcats
fellers OF that age was only allowed to
be bat boys. Seventy years and upwards
was the first string. Some of our
players used to get a leetle bit tetchy
with the rheumatic, and 1t was kinda
hard for 'em to make the whole round
OF the bases. and In them cases we often
let 'em go round In relays. II a man
hit a two Dagger they was somebody
waitin' at first to run to second for him,
and so on. Why In them days" -
strike three-e-ei" called the four
teenth umpire. The Wildcats had won
again.
The game this year was held for the
benefit OF the Babylon Hospital and the
gate receipts yielded nearly $500.
GEN. BORDEN TO FLY OUT
49, ~---- 1r - ~ n ~ a