San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-16

"Whadd'yah mean, 'we! growlet
Jocko Jones, big roughneck first base
man. Jocko had smashed out three
solid blows.
''Yeah?" Liz Cochran. the ketcher
horned in. Sing yourself q solo, kid
Don't try to make it a chorus" Liz
had treated himself to q whistlins
three Dagger.
'Oh, l didn't notice you sluggers
whanging out any hits when anybod,
was ON base" Monty came back al
the big fellows.
Not our fault if nobody gets on
hey, Lizr Jocko Jones guffawed
"Y'can't hit behind runners when they
amt any runners"
was glad to hear the bunch start
the razz. 1t was the best sign ye.
that might be able to turn out ball
club for old man T. Everett Simmons,
who'd bought the Blues with some
jack be grabbed in the oil business.
I'd picked up Monty Sawyer, a
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 perfect con-
trol-that is, they could put the bal
anywhere the other guys could hit 1t.
With this outfit started the season,
and it didn't look any too rosy.
Monty Sawyer was the pepper box
in our menu, and he was a smart.
tricky fielder.
1t took us six weeks to dig ourselves
into third place.
My fool luck give me an infield that
is second to none. Nobody crabs
Waldo Blatt's 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 fieldin' looked funny, bu:
he did the job. And hit? Baby, how
he could swing!
l left the pitchers to Liz Burton.
and l stood pat on the three outfield-
ers, OConnell, Buck and Swarzheim-
er, who were fair enough.
We'll, you boys have won two 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 so
on up to Chicago, and come back by
way of Cincinnati, and hang on to
fourth place, and III blow the bunch
to an extra weeks wages, seeT
i So ! told the gang. They gave three
cheers. Extra money looks purity soft
in the spring, when the boys have
been through a hard winter with
nothin' comm in.
/ We went away from home, with the
papers givin' US big send-off. They
printed the averages for the first two
weeks, and man, they were 4 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, 81
cert'ny wish you'd get one safe once
in a while"
sinister 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."
J Never was book could teach any.
body how to hit anything" 1 said.
a. 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 q guy get SO cocky in all
your life. And talk? In the field, at
ahe bat, on the Joachim line, on the
bench. to and from everywhere, this
guy barked and yelled like a pup with
Al thorn in his foot, but mostly at
Jocko Jones. When he wasn't talkin'
10 somebody he talked to himself
Mutterin' and growlin to himself ALA
time.
Il wish y'd lay off the big guy
about hittin'," l said to him. LET him
have the razz in the field, for that
keeps him ON the jump. But nix o;
that stuff about his battin'."
Why not?' asked Monty, peeved
Have you looked at his average late
ly.. He's picked up 81 points sine,
started kiddin' him."
In that case, shoot" / said.
The old man was good for the ex
ira dough, and the boys felt purt!
gond.
But I've noticed one thing" tn
old man said, "and that is that onl
one of you boys is batting the bal
now who was not hitting when yOr
left home. l promised this bonus t
sce if you wouldn't all start battin
harder"
They'll come around" / said. Tn
worst time in the world to criticize
ball player is when he's not gettin' zen
safe.
Tin talkin'. Mister Andrews" sal,
Mr. Simmons. Now, then, offer you