The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-07

club had received an unfair chanc'
equally indignant with the treatmel
Monday noon was told to report
Thought, perhaps some one had
blamed me for starting the fight.
It. looked like my jinx was still with
me. Ishad visions of again looking
for another job. But here's what
the mayor said: young fellow, do
you think we can lick thase fellows,
if we play another game?" For my
part I was confident and told him
no. While l sat there he got the
T1ayorsof Caidwen on the telephone
and issued a return challenge which
was turned down.
But we got even with Caldwell
the following week. Our team
was scheduled to play against
Enlmet, while Caldwell was match
ed against Payette. Everybody
I'm Weiser was pulling for Payette
but moral support was all we haG
to offer.
Finally. a plan was figured out
by which we could give Payette q
real helping hand. There hadn't
been a. sign of rain in over two
months, and yet, at the last min
ute, our game was called-"On ac-
count of raini', The night before,
our ball field was in perfect shape,
but by morning it. was a sea Of
mud? And vet there hadn't been a
drop of raini No one seemed to
know where the mysterious flood of
water came from. but everybody
knew the game could not be played
and nearly half the town started
for Caldwell.
Payette's manager was notified
by telephone and Immediately he
engaged me to pitch against Cald.
shortstop, and Meats, our catcher,
started in buggy for the scene
Of battle, Not to be outdone. Cald-
well imported a pitcher from the
Coast League. but our side man.
aged to- win in fifteen innings by
slle. score of 2 to l. Caldwell got
seven hits. In the next game /
pitched. We won 2 to 0, when al
lowed two hits and got fifteen
strikeouts.
It wasn't long before Weiser's
team, the kids" as everybody
called rs, began to attract atten-
fiOn. But the season was soon
.ern California.
Naturally. the news about my.
stffkeouts in Idaho caused some
talk down around Los Angeles and
Pop" Dillon again showed interest
in nae In fact, he asked me to
meet him and Hen" Berry. then
owner of the Los Angeles Club at
q billiard room. was on time
for the appointment and sat near
the door. where they would enter.
They came in, little while after
I arrived and Immediately started
playing game of billiards. They
didn't ask for me and didn't seem
to be much concerned whether /
had come or not. / didn't feel as
though i ought to go up and inter
rlipt such important men. And
how Dillon had passed me up at
Olinda and l didn't like to have
him turn me down again. Pretty
soon their billiard game was fin
ished and they left without know
ing l was present. That was as
oear as / ever got to playing in
q minor league-and:- only hope
! won't come that close again.
Unless am an owner.
The billiard parlor incident didn't
bother me in the least. I kept on
playing baseball and trying to i'm
prove. During the winter months,
I played with Santa Ana along
with Cravath, famous old fence
buster of the Phillies. "Gavy"
lives down that way and umpired
the game L pitched against Babe
Ruth at Brea last October. Be
tween innings we did a lot of
tanning.
did you ever see this?" ask
ed Gayy" pulling out a news
paper clipping almost yellow
WITH age. 1t showed me with a
batting average Of 1872 and
great .sluggers of the National
League hitting only 200. Also
according to the clipping, I had
struck out 120 men i'm 131 innings
and in ten games pitched had
allowed thirty-twO hits.
The following Spring John Nc
Graw and the New York Giants,
trained s in Southern California.
Joe Burke and all that old crowd
around the oil fields, got after
me again. / simply had to try
out with the Giants, they said,
and they would not have il any
other way. But if / wasn't good
enough for Dillon and Los Angeles,
how Inf the world could l expect
a chance with McGraw and the
famous New York Giants? That's
how l. looked at the situation.
phe big leaguers practiced at
Washington Park, which, in the
old days, was called Cbutes Park.
Both parks belonged TO the coast
league and occupied practically the
same plot of ground But Chutes
Park, j remember the best, be-
.ause it ,adjoined big amusement
park and after every game a gate
in centerfield gave free admission
to all who attended the ball game.
One morning went to the
ball park alone. Naturally no