Evening star., 1925-01-15


Peck was great infielder then. He
is better one today. Few short
stops In the history of the game have
had his uncanny knowledge of bat
terS He has a wonderful pair of
hands, can throw accurately from any
position and always is a dangerous
man when at bat in a pinch Above
slI' ne has the truly great players
temperament. He never quits The
greater the emergency, the better he
arises to 1t. l need only refer to his
playing in helping Washington win
Its first pennant and world series to
make my point clear. Unless | am
greatly mistaken he has several more
years as star ahead OF him
But to return to my first appear
ance against a major league club. I
didn't get into the game until the last
four innings. For a time it didn't
look as If l would be used. / vas on
the bench in uniform, however, and
that meant | was getting somewhere
in my ambition. When Bill Coughlin,
manager of the Scranton club then,
told me to get in there and let's see
what you got" I couldn't have been
tune on the spot.
112 Pounds of Hope.
Inc game was only an eXnlDltlOn
contest to the Yanks. l know none
OF them even asked the name of the
gaWky, awkward 112-pound lad who
took his place on third base at the
beginning of the seventh inning. But.
to that youngster, it was the most
important day of his life I was at
last actually in a game with big
leaguers.
have had my share of thrills since.
lob
washington, being named as the
youngest big league manager in the
history of the game, winning a PEN
nant and topping it off with a world
championship. l can truthfully say
none Of them could touch the JOY l
felt when l was ordered to "get in
there and let's see what you got"
Truth TO tell, when the game ended
with the Yankees 3-to-2 winners in |
10 innings, l didn't think l had very |
much. I was nervous as a cat and |
tried to hide my feelings by a con- |
stant stream of chatter. Fortunately, |
l didn't have hard chance. Only |
two balls were hit at me. Fritz Mai !
sci contributed one and Hughie High |
the other. Both should have been !
easy outs.
Walsh, ON First, Saves Him.
Nervous as 1 was. however, 1 just |
did get them going to first Tony |
Walsh was playing the initial sack |
for JUS. He saved me on both plays |
Maisel was a fast lead-off man. as ! |
knew by reputation, and hurried my |
throw on him. When the ball left |
my hand l was sure it was headed |
for the stands. Tony had to jump |
high. He came down with his foot |
on the bag, just stride ahead of |
Mafsel. Later he made almost the |
same sort of play to retire High.
Dazzy' Vance, now the star of the |
National Lea que pitchers, had Just
come up with the Yanks at the end |
Of the Nebraska League season. He |
had had good year with Hastings
He pitched the last four innings
against us, relieving Ensign Cottrell |
faced him twice. His speed had me |
tied in knot the first time. The |
second time up | raped sha rp1y over |
second. Peckinpaugh robbed me of a |
hit by great stop and a wonderful |
throw. l felt good to think I could |
even connect against big league
pitching.
k must have shown some of the
earharks of a professional prospect.
fog Immediately after the game
Coughlin tried to sign me to Scran-
tp1:contract. He didn't have a blank
IoJal Mandy ana wrote out the terms
ofMan agreement on the back of an
enSelope. They called for S125 a
mouth for six months if I made good.
IN CoushIin Agrees to Delay.
At the time l was a full-fedged
in the Butler Colliery
and making a bit more than S12 a
week. Coughlin's proposition would
hets me more than a years work In
{ he2mine-provided, of course, / made
g60f. l didn't think of possible fail
uFeS but l wanted to talk the matter
oSSr with mother. Merle and Tony
Walsh before I decided. I had all the
N1Rter in which to make up my mind.
CoGghlin agreed to the delay.
Uniformed Tony OF the proposal on
the way home. He told me it was a
good thing hadn't sewed myself up
with ScrantAl. "I heard Hughey Jen-
niDEs had a scout there looking you
over" he said Maybe you'll get a
ch4nce with the Tigers next Spring"
Later / heard the scout reported to
] Jennings that I was too small for the
big leagues. That night, however, !
was treading on air when l reached
home. l told mother all the good
ne%s and gave her the $50 1 got for
playing to buy a dress. She banked
the money for me. That night she
ana l celebrated by going to the
movies.
IN tCopyright. 1921