The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-10-08
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

PHILADELPHIA. oct. at Is
4 very embarrassing to walk out
on one of these baseball classics,
as I believe they are called, and at
later period return to find that
the thing has taken on all the as
poets Of a raging hit. / mean 1t
sort of makes you look like mug
and the derisive cackling on the
part Of the brighter young men
who had greater faith only serves
10 accentuate the torment.
Naturally, your standing as reliable
expert and q Trustworthy critic suffers
because If you cannot tell when series
is going TO be both WOW and a wham
after looking at large part of II then
there must be something the matter with
YOUR Judgment and YOU ought to 90 back
TO the dclicatessen store where YOU we're
7lways considered : valued employe IN
the cheaper grade cheese department. ex-
cent on Saturday nights when the rush
was on.
do not blanc my colIeagues for sniSe l;.
ing as I pass them BY in the MOTEL lobby
with my chin held high and my clear
blue eyes looking neither TO rlgnt nor
left To be sure + Is an ~ onc s1}l, a. az
as a brother. but this is because they 90
not understand.
From the beginning l had feeling that
the 1880 blue ribbon event Of baseball
would be the greatest series in the long
history Of what Calvin Coolidge calls the
national pastime, and ii was with extreme
reluctance and bitterness that ] closed up
my typewriter after the second ZANE and
announced that 1 was leaving the troupe
fat.
THERE is about me the attributes
i of a Christian martyr. 1 stand
I'D under punishment very nobly
If I may say so myself. But there
is a limit to all things and after
two days of sitting III the press cells
with George Herman Ruth directly
hack of me in an elevated position
sprinkling hot cigar ashes on my
neck 1 could go no further.
n
My neck Is not exactly what YOU would
call model Of physical perfection.
don't suppose it even qualities or
binary neck. There is an interesting bend
or bow in il midway between the ears and
the shoulder blades and there are curious
s1reads OF network here and there in the
flesh that make it undesirable for caress-
ing purposes. except in cases where the
interested party Is not very discriminating.
But even so it's not such a monstrosity
TO be mistaken for an ash tray or a refuse
box.
Ruth as an observer Of these great
sutumnal SpectacleS. has other Characters
les which hardly add to the comfort or
are unfortunate enough to be placed near
him in the press chambers.
At intervals. Ruth will kick forward with
either his right or left foot and by some
chance the foot unfaiIlngIy will land di-
rectly under one of YOUR ears and with
such vigOr as to cause you to lose all in
ferest in the play of the athletes pr. for
that matter, anything else.
+ AM getting along in years as
\ sports writer and while once 1
might have esteemed it a high
honor to be kicked in the head by
so distinguished a parsonage as
Ruth in full view of $4,000 custom
ers, I no longer look upon these di-
does either with amusement or toll
erance.
realize Of course that Ruth is lust
great big boy. sort of Peter Pan with
double chin and I always try to make the
allowances that are deemed customary in
II
ment.
But believe there is q time and place
for everything. Personally l have a warm
admiration for Ruth the ball player and
GOOD fellow and take him out to Central
Park and romp with him on the grass and
under the trees until we both become eX-
hsusted.
But il the big bum stands up Just once
today and bangs me over the head with
Que of those hams he uses for hands at
moment when something exciting is
transpiring down there on the green sward.
] am going to turn around and shoot him
right through the heart even if it means
that / Will have TO watch Byrd or some
such clown play right field for the Yam
KEGS all next season.
HAD uOC lDJenueQ 10 Aldhe
i public matter Of this situation,
but since certain vicious persons
have gone out of their way mali
ciously to misinterpret my with
drawal from the series at a prema-
lure stage I feel that my stand in
the matter is justifiable.
II
Now that that is out of the way 1 will
TRY to temper my emotions and go calmly
about the business Of exporting in the
sane, sound manner which is so typical Of
my pieces. and which has endeared me to
millions of readers who would not know
foul strike from a Greek root even if
knew and told him.
NV friend Gabby Street who manages the
Cardinals tells me that the series is not
over vet. This is another dav." he saws.
At FIRST blush this might appear TO be
radical statement but glance at the
Cregorian calendar viii corrobOrate the
managers testimony.