Evening star., 1925-01-20


more than slap the ball out OF the
impressive. Yet it was an improver
l53 putoutS, PA assists and 10 error!
six worse fielding second basemen
The first time | successfully I
season. | had been trying to perteC
me in hand. With man on first '
dragged the ball down the base |
with Washington and Cleveland, w
The ball was hard hit and tore the
web out of his glove He cuffed it
around and recovered in time to retire
me. | was still suffering from the ef-
fectS of an injured ankle and was slow
on the paths. Alex Ferguson. later of
the Red SoX, was pitching for Utica
that day. Frank O'Rourke, who later
came up with Washington and Detroit.
played shortstop for Utica.
Ferguson had plenty of speed. In fact
l never before had looked over such
fast-ball pitching He didn't have much
more than a straight ball at the time
but il was enough for me- He was a big
rugged, hard-working youngster. and
even then showed signs of becoming an
effective pitcher. l couldn't understand
why he wasn't in the big leagues the
day | first batted against him
Crowds Small That Season.
Crowds were small that season The
clubs were hard put to make ends meet.
Reading, like the others. carried few
extra players. So after I hurt my ankle
in Syracuse | didn't get much rest Jack
Fox, one of our pitchers, strapped my
foot. l injured it sliding into second. l
didn't know how to time my slide and
had to pay the penalty. While l was
hobbling around we were playing a
pitcher on second
Finally Wiltse ordered me back in the
lineup.
Go ahead out there on one leg" he
said. You'll do better than any other
two-legged bird l have" When I heard
this order ] felt l had at last made
good in the ranks of the professionals.
l would have played on my hands and
knees for Witse
Oscar Tuero. who later came up with
the Cardinals, was the leading pitcher
in the league. He won "a games and
lost only in 1917. He had a fast ball
and a mean-breaking hook. 1 was pretty
much of a sucker on curve ball in
those days. Most young players are, un-
less they are natural born hitters
Studying Faults Is Helpful.
] won't go so far as to say that a
batter can be made | do contend,
however that a careful coach can
iiilpiONt dilIlOSl any inter. r
more. A player by studying his faults
and correcting them is almost certain
to increase his batting average
have found it a good thing to study
my swing before a mirror. when in
a slump, and thus try to discover
what it is ! am doing wrong. Fur
thermore. a batter must keep up his
courage. If he goes to the plate de-
termined to hit. the chances are he
will do Confidence Wit faar
Is the real tonic to cure batting as
well as fielding ills
When the season ended, with Read
ing in the second division, I returned
home to find myself something of a
hero in Pittston. Jimmy Fitzpatrick,
one of Pittston's good sports, told me
I might even get in a world series
some time. The previous year he had
taken a party to see the world series
games in Brooklyn between the
Dodgers and the Red Sox. He had
me as one of his guests.
That was my first trip to New
York. The lights of the big town
dazzled me. Jimmy took us to one
of the big Broadway cabaret shows.
] didn't know how to act. The rich
ly dressed women and their escorts,
the soft lights, fine linens and silver
awed me. | spent an uneasy evening.
Saw Carl Mays Beaten.
Carl Mays. against whom / was des-
tined to make my major league debut,
pitched for the Red SoX in the first
series game I saw. He was inef-
fective and the Dodgers beat him,
to 5. This was the only contest of
the series won by the older league
entry. I didn't see Babe Ruth in ac-
ton. He wasn't the home run king
then. He had won % games and lost
II as a pitcher in the league season
and had beaten Sherrod Smith in the
second game of the series in Rbston.
1t went II innings to a 2-to-1 de-
cision.
l was particularly interested in
Chick Shorten. He came from the
home district. He put up a great
game in the series, hitting well over
the 500 mark and having a perfect
fielding average. / studied also the
playing of Hal Janvrin, the Boston
second baseman, and George Cutshaw,
his rival. JanVrin was a star in the
absence of Jack Barry. He was a
timely hitter and fielded eXcellently.
When l came to the majors / took
his place with Washington. 1 wasn't
thinking of such thing ever coming
to pass when l watched him play in
the 1916 world series. My seat was
In the left-feId bleachers.
Recalled Failure of Tigers.
As I watched the final game in
Brooklyn, / recalled the incidents sur
rounding the first world series in
which l took a vital interest. That
was in 1909. I received the returns
of the final game of the Pittsburgh
Detroit series while shivering In
snowstorm on the streets of Pitts
L. u
the failure of the Tigers. Neither
when a bulletin board spectator in
Pittston nor an actual one in Brook
lyn did I ever dream ! ever would
be world series participant. What
a difference few years make-19O9-
q shivering kid watching a bulletin
board; 19I6-a youngSter in a bleach
er seat at the championship games;
l924-a world series club manager.
Copyright, 1921
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