Evening star., 1923-09-16

a beautiful three-bagger out along
the left-field foul line.
After supper that night Jocko
wanted to know whether the Goliaths
had more'n two left-handers. told
him no, and started to ask him II he
knew anything about this thing OF
kiddin' yourself into the notion you're
hitter
mo- he said. ".That's something
you can't kid yourself about. Either
y'r hitter, or y'r aint. See? But I
gotta beat it. Gotta date"
Hope you get there before Monty
does" ] said. yeliin' after him as he
Hoped across the lobby; "and stay
longer"
was pullin's for him against
Monty in any race they might have
for this girl. Not that I'd bet he
could beat Monty out He's smart,
Monty is.
This club I'm calling the Goliaths
has come through the west like a
Kansas cyclone. They got high
priced ball players, special coaches.
trainers. and assistant. managers till
who tied the pup and why, and any
owners call in the manager and hand
him a million dollars to buy some
ball players with. And they've got
a smart manager In this Jimmy Nc
Gonigle.
"A lotta folks has turned out to
see us beat the Goliaths," says Mr.
Simmons to me in the clubhouse be-
fore the first game of the big series.
BEST attendance we've had this year.
not exceptin' openin' day
"Whadd'yah mean. beat the Coli
aths?" said. I'VE amt done 1t yet"
"Oh. but we must" he says. 1--WE
can't disappoint the crowd. And, be-
sides, I'm onering five hundred dol
lars. Remember that, boys"
They all give him yell. and we
piled outa the clubhouse to warm up
AS soon as Monty hit the field.h he be-
gun tryin' to get a argument outa
three or four of the Goliaths-some-
thing he could chew on all through
the game and get 'em in the air
about. An old stunt of his, and he's
bird at it. In five minutes he had
row on, and all the Goliaths but
the pitchers and ketchers were
scrappin' with him. / was laughin
about il until l noticed that these
pitchers and ketchers was all watch
in big Jocko Jones. That big guy
didn't make a move that they didn't
lamp. OF course he had a hittin'
average of All, and they'd never saw
him before. Naturally they'd give
him the once over. but here they was
hardly takin' their eyes offa the boy.
'S'pose he's got their goat. even
before he goes up to wallop?"
asked myself. And then 1 decided
not to let the big fella swing in
hittin' practice for fear mebbe they'd
get some line on him. So I made
him go up and hit Ieft-handed, which
he did. Very clumsy. Iaz Cochran
saw what 1 had in mind, and he
come over to set by me. lettin' one
of the other ketchers warm up a
couple singers.
Listen, Bill" he said, "I got an
idea. Mabbe / can qualify for that
five hundred the old mans offerin'.
It's cinch McGonigle's gang will be
watchin' Jocko. It's a cinch Mac
will pitch Nubbin or his other left
handler Jocko can Kill any left
handler that ever lived, see? Here's
the idea Let's move little Sawyer
up to fifth place behind the big guy,
see? Monty's hittin'. Jocko'n be
gettin' on ALA time. and he'll razZ
Monty and make him come through.
If they're up in the air about Jocko,
Monty will hit. too. See? And
lemme follow Monty, Std of hittin'
fifth. Whaddyah say?"
You're on" 1 said. "A hundred
per cent. The ideas a bear, Liz.
I'll go up there and give the changed
hittin' list to the press box"
WHEN 1 got back to the bench Liz
w was talkin' to Jocko, but don't
know what they were sayin'. who'll
we work today?" asked Liz. Give
'em the best we got?"
Nav" said Jocko before Liz could
say word.
Who's talkin' to your" / said.
"You are, right now." he said. 1T
say, let's use the kids on the hill to-
day. If they start Nubbin. or that
other Iefthander, we1r murder him.
Anybody can win for US If they use a
southsider, seer"
by jimmy, the kids right. BILL"
says Liz. Let's try it, and save what
real pitchin' we've got for a harder
spot, hey?'
"All right" said. II s'pose this is
your candidate for the f1ve-hundred-
dollar bonus, hey, Jocko?"
Call it that If you wanta," he
growled.
'If this keeps up we're gonna have
so many tactics we won't have any
room in the park for some base ball"
said TO Liz. He laughed. And so we
started the old ball game. I shot Kid
Green, a coclzy young lefthander just
outa college, at 'em, and, sure enough,
McGonigle trotted out Nubbin, his star
southpaw.
Even If I've been in base ball
twenty-eight years, I'm so excited
can hardly keep a chew of. tobacco
in my mouth. The crowd, the way
our gang piled outa the dugout for
the first inning. the way these
Gollaths kept their eyes on Jocko
Jones, the 500 beans for third place
to some lucky stiff which might be
me but prob'iy wasn't-ail these things
darn near got my goat
Now, far be it from me to spring a
ninth-inning finish on you. or even a
box score OF the game The Goliatfs
go down one. two, three to this cocixy
Kid Green, their. first. time out, but
pay little attention to him. Instead.
the whole crowd of 'en stand offa
their bench and stick their heads outa