Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-08
BY ROGERS HORNSBY.
Copyright, 1929, by North American
Newspaper Alliance.

Newspaper Alliance.
~ PPORTUNITY to play real bast
4 ball came to me before I hae
@ psa 46 sshQ %as in ab ss5t Mertn
six years after my mother hae
made nv first base ball suit, when
was playing with small boys on vacant
lots.
By this time I had heightened into
a tall bow of IS, and during the sum
1ner vacation I had found a job so ]
could earn some money and help my
mother. My father was dead.
was working at the Fort Worth
stockvards. My job was to check III
the cars that arrived loaded with live
stock and to check out the cars loaded
with meat products. I liked the work
and I suppose that if hadn't gone
into base ball would have wound up
either with the railroad or the packing
house.
The packing house where worked
had a team that played every Saturday
afternoon, and I went out to practlce
with them, although I then weighed
only 100. No one paid any attention to
me. and about all I was allowed to dc
was to shay balls in the outfield.
However, one day was permitted to
10 to shortstop during practice, ano
the fellows saw could handle ground
ball and throw pretty well. l nae
played shortStop most OF the time Win
the kids, though, like all youngsters,
started out as pitcher. mao pIayeo
y every position in the infleld and OUT
field in those kid games, so wnen
went out with the packing house team
the fellows saw knew something about
the gameS
Weary Days on the Bench.
It was a long time, though, before
did anything but sit on the bencn
Finally one of the men failed to appear
and the captain was up against 1t. He
hcowled at me.
s'Kid, play short today" he ordered,
and jumped at the chance.
I wasn't any sensation, but. ! got
along well enough to keep the job the
rest of the Summer. 1t was my expe-
rience there which stirred my ambition
to be a big league ball player. IL was
lust then that Ty Cobb was going at
his best. and the papers were filled with
the great things he was doing IN the
American League. read everything !
could find about him. He became my
hero and my ideal.
I said nothing to any one about my
ambition. The big leagues seemed
long way off. wondered If ever
would get into the big show. I knew
had to get bigger and stronger. I knew
that Cobb and Hans Wagner and Larry
Jaioie were heroes because they coulo
hit. knew I had to learn to be a
hitter, and although I said nothing tc
a soul about it began right then tc
study hitting.
The Big Brother Appears.
Fortunately for me, I had a big
brother who was a ball player. He was
b pitcher good enough to hold a job for
many seasons with Houston, Waco and
Dallas in the Texas League. His name
was Everett, but everybody called him
'Pep." He threw the spit ball and was
a winner.
When he came home after the 1914
season he seemed to realize for the f1rst
time that no longer was little boy
kid, they tell me you're getting to
be quite a ball player" he said. I'll
look you over in your next game"
He came out the following Saturday
I handled every fielding chance per-
fectly. I got a couple Of hits. was
elated. I knew pep" was watching me
When the game ended I Joined hin
SWell, kid, you've got a lot to learn
but keep on hustling," was all he had u
say, and my dreams almost faded away
Thursday-Into the Big League.