Evening star., 1923-09-16
The Prize and the Prize Girl

~ AID Monty sawyer IN the ciup-
house: 'I tell you, fellows,
we've got to hit. Or quit tryin'
~ to win games, see? We've got
to hit at old apple"
"whadd'yah mean, 'we'?" growled
'Jocko Jones, big roughneck first
basemanr Jocko had smashed out
three solid blows.
Yeah" Liz Cochran, the ketcher,
horned in. Sing yourself solo.
kid. Don't try to make it chorus"
Liz had treated himself to a whistling
three-bagger.
."oh, didn't notice you sluggers
whanging out any hits when any
body was on base" Monty came back
at the big fellows.
mot our fault if nobody gets on,
hey, Liz?" Jocko Jones guffawed.
"Y'can't hit behind runners when they
ain't any runners"
I was glad to hear the bunch start
the razz. 1t was the best sign yet
that ! might be able to turn out a
ball club for old man T. Everett
Simmons, who'd bought the Blues
with some jack he grabbed in the oil
business.
smart second baseman who could hit
the; size of his hat when he was
lucky, and this big Jocko Jones, a
rookie, for first. had two good men
for the box and nine others with per-
feet control-that is, they could put
the ball anywhere the other guys
could hit il. With this outfit started
the season, and 1t didn't look any too
rosy.
Monty Sawyer was the pepper box
in our menu, and he was a smart,
tricky fielder.
II took US six weeks to dig our
selves into third place.
Ny fool luck give me an infield
that is second to none. Nobody crabs
Waldo Blatts act on third base, and
Jersey Day can field and throw with
any shortstop that ever lived.
Then take this big gorilla, Jocko
Jones. His f1eldin' looked funny, but
he did the job. And hit? Baby, how
he could swing!
Il left the pitchers to Liz Burton,
and 1 stood pat on the three out
fielders, o'Connell, Buck and Swarz-
heimer, who were fair enough.
GSyETELL, you boys nave won two
wv series and broken even in the
other one" said old man Simmons to
me at the end of the second week of
the season, which we opened at home.
You go on up to Chicago, and come
back by way of Cincinnati. and hang
on TO fourth place. and I'll blow the
bunch to an extra weeks wages,
see?"
So I told the gang They gave
three cheers. Extra money looks
purity soft in the spring, when the
boys have been through hard win
ter with nothin' comm in.
We went away from home with the
papers EivIn' US a big send-off. They
printed the averages for the first two
weeks, and man, they were fright.
MoStly zeros and ones. Down at the
bottom of the list, with two zeros
and q seven. was Monty Sawyer.
Boy" said on the train, II cert'ny
wish you'd get one safe once in a
while"
Mister Andrews" he came back at
me, I'm gonna hit. See? I've Just
been readin' about a book" he said.
"and it's got the idea in It,"
Never was book could teach any,
body how to hit anything" said
You'll see," he said.
saw. We'Got back home with FIVE
games outa the eight In our bat bag,
and fourth place still in our midst.
The reason was Monty Sawyer did
start hittin'. He got one safe in
every game, and two in some of them.
You never saw guy get so cocky
in all your life. And talk? In the
field, at the bat, on the coachin' line,
on the bench, to and from every
where, this guy barked and yelled
like pup with thorn in his foot,
but mostly at Jocko Jones. When he
wasn't talkin' to somebody he talked
TO himself. Mutterin' and growlin' TO
himself ALA time.
'T wish y'd lay Off the big guy
about hittin'," said to him. Let
him have the razz in the field. for
that keeps him on the jump. But nix
on that stuff about his battin'."
why not?" asked Monty, peeved.
Have you looked at his average
lately? He's picked up thirty-seven
points since started kiddin' him."
I'm that case, shoot" said.
The old man was good for the extra
dough, and the guys felt purity good
But I've noticed one thing" the
old man said, "and that is that only
one of you boys is batting the ball
now who was not hitting when you
left home. promised this bonus to
see IL you wouldn't all start batting
harder,
They'll. come around" I said. The
worst time in the world to criticize
a ball player is when he's not gettin'
'em safe.
'T'm ,talkin', Mister Andrews" said
Mr.. Simmons. Now, then, offer you
all q bonus, and only one of you
comes through. This time I'll offer
one Of you bonus and see II all of
you can come through. I'll pay $500
to the man who can produce scheme
that will land ;us in third place.
Nobody barred, not even the manager.
I'll be the Judge On June flrst."
said the old boy, "I'll come, out here
to the clubhouse. II we're I'm third
place. ahead of the Goliaths, I'll
- =.