The New York herald., 1922-05-02
Ambitious Pitcher Now En-
titled to Lower Berth and
Regular Meal Hours.
MAYS is BEATEN, 5 TO 2
Ferguson Completed Baseball
Education Tossing Hand
Grenades in France.
by w. o. M'GEEHAN.


The Yanks plunged headlong from
first place in the American League
yesterday. and as a result Alex Fer
Euson will sleep in a lower berth and
eat at the first table when the Red
Sox take the road again. Thereby
hangs a homily more interesting than
the game at the Polo Grounds yester-
day, in which young Alex. held the
Yanks to four more or less scattered
hits. the Red Sox winning their third
straight by a score Of to 2.
Let's pass the game for the time
being and go into the story of young
Alex Ferguson, a story which proves
that~ambition and earnestness do not
always get it where the flapper wears
the summer furs.
Something like seven years ago Alex
Ferguson Joined the Yankees as a re-
cruit pitcher. He was so lean at the
time that care had to be exercised to
see that the plug was kept in the
bathtub when Alex bathed. Other
wise he might have been swept down
into the pipe.
For two years he sat pensively on the
Yankee bench watching baseball games
Part of the day he spent in the bull pen
warming up for the chance that never
came. Nevertheless Alex warmed up
every day with care and diligence and
each evening cooled off again.
T~ss>A
In 1918 Alex walked out of a ball
park into a recruiting office and be-
came a private in the United State In
rantry. For a couple Of years he
warmed up with hand grenades After
the armistice he dropped into the Yankee
office and demanded that he be given
back his upper berth and his seat at
the rockies table. He got them both.
1t was after his return from France
that Alex confded bashfully into your
correspondents ear his aims and lie
ambitions. They were modest enough,
but at the time they seemed absolutely
impossible Of fulfillment
This amt so bad" observed Alex,
the ex-doughboy. II got my old upper
berth back again. and I'm lucky.
guess. Over there I had to ride in
the cars with the 40 hommes and
chevsaux. But do you know. what
my ambition is? want to be able to
pitch SO well some day that viii be
able to ride In a lower berth and eat
at the first table. I'm pluno tired of
hearing the bail players and the soldiers
shouting, Hey, you damned rookie. get
in the upper. Wait till the baseball
players are fed"
Immediately after making this con-
fession Alex blushed to the roots of his
hair. Don't tell anybody" he pleaded.
So it happened that Immediately after
yesterdays game Harry III. Frazee. rec
ognizing merit, gave the order that here
after when the Red Sox travel Pitcher
Alex Ferguson shall have lower berth
and that he Is TO eat at the first table
Carl Mays Not SO Good.
, Ferguson was the fourth ex-Yankee
pitcher to come back this season and
sock his former owners in the Stats.
Carl Mays. who started yesterday for
the Yanlss. was hit in clusters. Being
n member of the crustacean family.
Mays did not enjoy the afternoon at
all. especially when he realized that
the young gent who was winning from
him was of the despised upper berth
strata of baseball society and had been
just thrown in for good measure in a
hasty Boston trade.
ITOuDlo StdrteQ TOT Mays IN the Sec
ond inning. Elmer Smith opened with
a single. O'Rourke sent him to third
with a hit to right After Harris had
popped out Cleveland, George Burns
lashed a hit through the box. scoring
Smith. With Ruel out the ambitious
young Mr.. Ferguson in person singled
10 right field. scoring O'Rourke. Burns
was thrown out at the platter attempt
ing TO follow him home.
In the third inning Memo Liebold
doubled vocferously to left, got to
third on Fosters out and scored on a
sacrifice fly by Pratt. BY this time
Mays's afternoon was about ruined.
The Sox got one more in the fourth
when Harris singled to left and stole
second. He went to third on Burns's
fly to right and scored on Ruel's hit
to left.
Saves the Lower Berth.
In the sixth inning your correspondent
began to fear for the lower berth OF
Alex Ferguson. also for his seat at the
first table. Alex began to get very
erratic and ii looked as though he
would once again hear the cry. 'ro the
upper berth. you busher. To the Sec
ond table. YOU rookie"
For Alex passed three Yanl<s in
row. Schang. Mays and Witt all got
bases on balls. stuffing the corners with
nobody out. Then Alex thought OF the
discomforts his lean frame had expert
enced in those upper berths and the cal
lousee he had developed from sitting
steadily on the bench. He pulled him
self together.
Fewster popped TO Harris. Baker
forced Witt, scoring Schang. Then Alex
struck out Miller and saved the lower
berth.
In the ninth and last Joe Harris got
himself home run. 1t was not much
OF a home run, but home run neverthe-
less. IL was the type OF homer that
comes frequently at the Phillies' band
box baseball park in Philadelphia. The
ball curved in a short fly and hitting
the rail of the right field stands bounded
In among the customers.
BOSTON tA) NEW YORK CAl
abr ae Alb II a.
Ieib'id.cf ~ 90 Witt.rf. q 90 z 10
Foster,3b 40i I % Fevs'crf 800 90
pratt.2b. 500 ! 90 Pakcr,3b.. 80 u 20
Smith,rf. 81 n NJ Mler.cf.. 400 90