The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-23
ARTICLE II

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 | fEditor's Note: This is the second of a series of twelve articles dealing with the | career of Walter Johnson as related by him to Lillian Barker newspaper woman who has a thorough knowledge of the | great American game. member or the Washington club of the American League for IS years of any oaseoall pitcher tne game has ever known. In these articles | he reveals for the first time a great | many interesting Facts relating to ms ! experiences the diamond. such as the | first time he ever Itched. how he has | crawled out of many tight holes while 1 on the firing line, and many other in | Cidents of compelling interest which make | a remarkable contribution to baseball | lore)
 "In 1902 my father and mother de- cided that Southern California offered better opportunities for farming than the region around Humboldt Kansas" said W Walter Johnson ill continuing his story relating to his twenty years on .he mound. My folks had been reading up on railroad literature about that part of the state. and the railroads where offering firstclaSs inducements to farmers who wished to settle there. Besides. we had had year in kansas there is nothing like a drought that makes farmer think of moving to an other part of the world to try his luck. So my parents picked on Southern Cali fornia Farmers from my part of the state were leaving in great numbers for the west. There were big irrigation pro jects in view and altogether the idea of going to d new country looked good to all of us. So we sold all our posses sions and household goods and started for our new home in the west.
 We were headed for little spot be- low Los Angeles It was Fullerton, 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. For tunately there were good school facili- ties in the district and I was at an age when I could enroll in high school. My first days in school proved un- eventful but when the baseball sea son opend up in the spring it meant perhaps the turning point in my career. As 1 said in last Sundays article that 1 had never in all my life up to the time l was II played a solitary game of ball, the idea had never occurred to me that 1 would in q very short while be very much sought to do things on the ball field for which I had little or no in- clination.
 Good Prospects
 While attending to my studies in high school l became very much in terested in the talk among the boys about the fine team they were going to have that season. They used to have flaming bees from morning till night and during the customary recesses. All they would talk about was baseball and how they were going to beat all rival high schools that year. Near the school there was a rough diamond laid out where the boys could practice every evening after school Here the gang would be hard at it, some of the fellows batting to the outfield, others to the infield. After practice they would get together in groups and argue among themselves as to what positions they should play
 Standing on the sidelines with other boys Of my age was very much amused at these conferences. Some of the fel- lows wanted to play certain positions without consideration as to their quali- fictations for the job. Everyone of them had their eyes on the pitchers box which is very much sought position among ball players in kid teams Very few want to work behind the plare. It is dangerous position, and it was all the more dangerous on that high school team because they didn't have shin guards. only breast protector and mask.
 Surprising Speed
 | "One afternoon when one of the boys was batting to the outfield foul tip came my way. Standing near the foul line back of third base 1 threw it with all my might to the catcher who was standing at the plate getting all the balls that the fielders retrieved. 1 must have thrown that ball with lot of speed for the catcher gave me a glance that I'll never forget.
 Say Walter he shouted to me, why don't you try your hand at this 1 game; come on get in; we need more fellows on the team II replied that l had never been in game of baseball in my fife. that didn't know the rules and that I didn't think l could be of much service to the school when I didn't t know q ball from strike. My school mate, however. insisted that 1 take his catcherS init and practice throwing to second base, which 1 consented to do after much coaXing.
 Not Much Of X Catcher
 Well, didn't make much of hit catching the ball; must have fum- bled and muffed quite q few, and few eigles from the sidelines made me all the more determined to make at least one perfect catch which l eventually did. But what the rest of the team was particularly interested in was the way in which l lined the ball to second base. It came natural for me to take hold of the ball in such way that 1t made it easy for me to throw it and 10 throw it accurately. In short while I had made considerable progress i'll my catching as well as in my throwing. l was pretty strong for my years and I had an especially strong throwing arm. The crowd immediately became interested. They surrounded me as if they had discovered some new species of human being who had dropped in among them from the clouds entreat- ing me to join the squad and come out and practice every afternoon.
 They needed catcher who could line them down to second with accur- acy and speed. They had seen me do it in practice and they thought l could fill the bill. Tine fact that I had never been in ball game in all my life did not seem to worry them as much as it did me.
 Would Teach Him
 "Well teach you the game,' consoled the captain.
 50 on the following week I went through baptism of fire in the role of catcher for my high school team and was to play my first game of base hall hehind the plotp ittla did I dreo m