Evening star., 1925-01-11


improved some in fielding and bait
my meager weight. l thought I wa:
now, and see myself in my minds {
rance is bliss, sure enough.
After time there was no con
at shortstop. Consequently | loafe
You've got to come TO life, Stanley,
he warned. "lf you don't, you'll Il
ball player. That's all you are nov
you can make something of yourself
you think Wagner, Bush and thos
arc by lying down OH the job? Nix
I'm going all right" l replied And
l thought ! WAS, | didn't know
enough to take good advice that was
we'll meant. l was making as much
as 50 extra some weeks by playin e
ball. That convinced me | was de-
livering the goods.
Fortunately. Tony's warning was
soon driven home in no uncertain
way. Hamtown was playing Avoca.
had one of those days where | couldn' I
do anything right. l bobbled couple
of easy chances, Clipped in two wild
throws, loafed going down to first
base on an infieid poke that the third
baseman messed about. and was
thrown out when l should have been
safe. Later l was caught asleep off
first following a single.
Take Him Out
That was the first time / heard a
crowd yell: Take him OUT" I've
listened to 1t since and played all the
harder But It hurt then, and my
feelings weren't eased when 1 was
unceremoniously benched. ] went
home disguised and discoura ged.
There was no pay for me that Sun
day.
The next few days l didn't go near
the ball field. / began to think l had
been treated unfairly. All the world
seemed against me. / didn't blame
myself for playing so wretchedly. |
could see only my side of the case, not
that of the fans
Tony Walsh met me as / was COM
ing from the mine, my mind pretty
well made up that l was through with
base ball.
What's eating you, eh?" he greeted
me. You look as if you were going
TO do a Brodie in some pond"
told him OF the riding" | had had
from the fans and that it was unjusti-
fed.
"You Were Rotten"
Bunk" he suorted, expectorating
mouthful of tobacco juice You
were rotten, Stanley. You didn't get
all that was coming TO you Base
oalIs like everything else in this
world. You've got to deliver the
goods or get bawled out. And you've
got to give your best if you want to
land any place. Hustle, That's the
stuff! On your old toes and head up
all the time
l was only kid, and a sensitive
one for all my contact with the
rough-andready mine crowd of
those days. l shifted from foot to
loot as l realized the truth of Tony's
remarks. l wasn't far from tears
The jeers of that small crowd still
were eating under my skin.
Tony slapped me on the back en-
couragingly. Forget it! Forget it,"
he ordered. Those birds who toss
You in the grease one day will be
yelling their fool heads off for you
the next. Don't ever let em get
your goat or you are done as a ball
player. If you blow a play. bob up
next time with a good one Then
you'll hear EN- cheer. The worlds
always with the guy who comes
across"
Earns Cheers Next Time.
He took me to the ball field and
Gained me down by making me work
hard fielding grounders. The next
Sunday l was back on nv lob at
shortstop for Hamtown and got a
big hand when I hit the first ball
pitched to center field for two bases.
| knew then that Tony. was right in
his advice. From that day on I've
never been worried by the jeers of
base ball crowd. They always
hurt, but they make me hustle all
the more to make amends for a bad
play.
The same holds true for practically
all big Ieaguers Now and then A
player forgets himself in the heat of
hard-fought game and takes issue
with particularly insulting specta-
tor. When this happens there gem
orally is some justification for the
player. He knows better than any
one In the stands when-he has pulled
"boner" or made really bad play
And he feels worse about 1t than
the most rabid rooter for the home
club. lie is out there trying to win
a game, not lose. 1t is fortunate if
his temper gets the better of him
and he tries to take it out on fan
after d barrage of insults. Ball play
ers are only human. Sometimes there
is A limit to endurance. For the
greater part the few biting insults
go in one ear and out the other Il
am not holding a brief for the player
of the case, however. 1t isn't always
the weaker.
Took "COstlyv Trips.
Before the weather became too cold
to play longer / realized | had
Drofited by Tony Walsh's lessons.
Several times that season / went to
Scranton and Wilkes-Barre to see
New York State League games. In
order to do so l had to save nickels
and dimes weeks in advance. Each
trip meant a couple of dollars spent.
a few dollars was world of money
then.
1 saw Monte Cross perform twice
that year. / knew him as star
shortstop who had played with Con-
ME Mack'S champion Athletics. Each
time / went back home wondering
what made me think l ever could
hope to be big league shortstop.
Copyright 1921
TOmOrrOw-"Baseba in N Hard