Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-06
HOMEMADE '4UN|E'
FIRED HIS AMBITION
Famous Career Nearly Was
Nipped by a Pet Goat That
Didn't Know Him.
BY ROGERS HORNSBY,


Copyright, 1929 by North American News
paper Alliance
~ ASE ball became the big thing
- in my life before was 10, and
1 suppose it will be my life al
When was a small boy
lived on the edge Of Fort Worth, Tex,
where my people had moved from
Winters, Tex, my birthplace. All the
boys of our neighborhood played base
ball. We organized a team, and 1t was
nothing for us to play as many as
three on Saturday. We began early
and finished late.
There was another crowd Of young
sters over the hill and We were great
rivals. We would trail over and play
on their lot in the early morning. and
then come back to our lot and play
double-header in the afternoon.
Two of the kids on this first ball
team of mine were George Smith. VINO
was the catcher, and Bob Criner, the
pitcher None of the boys / played
with in those early days ever got into
professional ball.
How His Mother Helped.
never will forget the day I got the
real base ball fever. 1t was when l
got my first uniform. This uniform
had been made by my mother. who
took an interest in my ball playing
then and kept her interest clear UP to
the day she died. That happened just
as was leading the st. Louis Cardinals
into the world series of 1926 against
the New York Yankees.
I get my first name from my mother.
who was Rogers. My father, Edward
H. HornSby, was cattle ranchman.
He died when was baby. My grand
father on my fathers side, and my
mothers father we're early settlers near
Austin, Tex, and had adjoining
ranches.
NV mother made my first sliding
pads and later improved upon them.
and we had them patented and manu-
featured.
But to get back to my first uniform.
My mother made it out OF bAue nannei'
and it was one of the happieSt moments
of my life when / first got into It.. l
knew then that I wanted to be star
ball player when ] grew up.
That little homemade uniform
really started me on my base ball career
but the career almost ended before
had a chance to play my first game IN
the suit. escaped only by some lively
footWork.
I was greatly interested in pets. 1t
almost in the country and had big
yard. I had pigeons. hens, ducks and
dog, and one day traded some pigeons
for a billy goat That was the first big
deal ever made, and 1t nearly t1nSned
me.
The Billy Goat Episode.
The goat was a great pet, and fol-
lowed me all over the place. But he was
inclined to go after strangers. When
L put on my new uniform and started
out for the lot where the boys were
gathering to play. my goat was IN the
ward He didn't know me. He TOOK
good look at the bright blue otufft, then
put his head down and started Tor me-
full speed.
I saw he wasn't fooling whiried
and dashed for the house With as much
speed as ever had In later years when
irving to steal second. I finished with
hook slide, too, for caught my toe on
the top step of the porch and wound
up in the kitchen.
I guess If that goat had caught me
before I reached the porch, my base
ball career would have ended the day 1t
really began.
TUESDAY Hornsby VIII tell of his first
real base ball experience).