New Britain herald., 1926-06-08
OLD TIMER THINKS
 OF DAYS GONE BY
Liked Letter Telling Of Stars of
 a Few Years Back
Herald Sports Editor

. ll'lTiI Nl'ltH 5-IlI or.
 Sir: Nothing that I have read in 1 your valued sport columns in a long time pleased me as thoroughly as
 tho letter you published from "A
 Fan' the other night Believe me, !. I remember the Dolphis and the
 Ncmos in Andrews ball field and
 your correspondent must moi have
 been in New Brifaln ten years ago
 or he would not have had any trou-
 hlo recalling if. either. It was on
 Allen street, between Oak and Ire
 mont, and what a field it was. There
 are tenement houses on 1t now, and
 l never pass it that l do not sigh
 for the days it was the chief gather ing place for lovers of baseball and
 football.
 l remember as though it was yos- tnrday. the big" game between the Nomos and the Delphis. The Del phis had uniforms, which were luxury in those times, and the Nemos
 had the most outlandish collection of uniforms I ever hope 10 see on q ball
 field. Not q cap or q pair of stock inEs matched, and, in fact, some of the players wore their street clothes. The Delphis won, with Joe Fitzpat- rick pitching, something like 6 or 2 10 1, but it was a fight from start to finish.
 Your correspondent writes of Cooler" Conlin. There was a ball player. He had everything. He could go behind the plate, pitch. play second or short, and cover the outield (not at once, you under stand but one day after another) and it was problem to decide which position he took care of best And he could hit the old pill. I don't know as box scores and batting averages were kept in those days, but I'll bet Conlin never hit under 400 in his life.
 Was he the best New Britain ever 1 produced? Well, that is q big ques- l ton. Of course, Billy Kopf went | higher than any other. product of the local sandlots. being a member of md q vital cog in a worlds cham outfit. and Marwin Jacob son is still under the big top, but | mink that of the local fellows who never got into league ball, either Honln or George O'Bricn was the op nOtcher OI}rion. you know, was | member of the Fifth Ward cham pions iH the old Ward league. and ! like Conlin, he could catch, pitch and . play in inc infeld or outfeld. I well , reading newspaper ac- counts of Ward league games for 'our successive weeks when O'8ricn was the star. and the significant ] oart of il was that in one game ho tarrcd behind the plate; the next Saturday he twirlcd a great game; hn next week he made the fans for ref Billy Kopf with his sterling york at short. and the following week. he ran all over the outfeld .rabbing would-he hits.
 O'Brion was not the sticker that 'onlin was, that is. he could not hit m as hard and as far, but his forte 'as his eye Tc never hit at a bad aU. No matter how far in the lead is team might be. OBrien never ook q cut at one unless it was right 'hcrc he wanted it, and naturally. o got many bases on balls. He as fast. too, much faster than the yerago local player today. off and, I would say he was as fast hen as Mickey Huber is today, and s you know the fleet Corbinitc Is , ome lively in the field and on the lcks.
 In closing, I want 10 thank you l or printing the letter q few nights go, and I hope you will be able 10 { nd space for this. as no doubt { Iany of the baseball lovers who { now the old-timers by reputation t 0ly, will enjoy reading some first and dope about them. I
 ANOTHER OLD TIMER. 1