The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1931-10-16

!
He showed me how the outfiel
He noticed that I still had
the bad habit of running into
the other fellows territory to
| try for a ball and he didn't
scold me about it, but what he
said was that I shouldn't try to
field balls hit to their terri
tories, but 1 should be there to
help out if the ball got away
from those fellows.
That is what I started doing,
and after that the outfielders
didn't cuss me like they had OH
other clubs when I was trying
to play all positions and hold
down the bat boys job, too.
Wife Calls Him Johnny
Joe, in talking about me to
other people, always would say
that had lots of pep" mean
ing was trying all the time,
and that is how got nick
named Pepper" Everybody calls
me that now except my wife,
Ruby, who still calls me Johnny.
Lots of people in big league
towns in 1881 didn't know I
had any other front name but
Pepper" thinking that it was
a name they gave Oklahoma
boys when christening them back
in my home State. ~ i,
played in lat games for
Houston in 1927 and worked in
all Of the outfields. I only made
nine errors all year, which is
about what I used to make in
one week in the outfield. !
never had any trouble at any
time even as a kid with fly
balls, and that is what I had
mostly to handle as an out.
fielder. And there wasn't much
chance of ME making wild throws
from the outfield.
I hit ..SO6 for Houston that
year, scored 118 runs, and
stole So bases. All in all, my
work at Houston wasn't great
and it wasn't bad. When the
team diSbanded for the season,
and all during the early part
Of the winter, / kept wondering
where I'd be in 192E-back with
Houston, advanced to Syracuse
again, or pushed back to Fort
Smith.
A letter came one day and
when I read it, 7 almost became
one Of those skyrocketS. It was
from the Cardinals and was
told to report to their Avon Park,
Florida, camp when spring train
ing season arrived. My salary was
to be 5000 a month.
Keeps Travel Mode Secret
Some Of the boys have writ
ten pieces saying that I "stole''
my way there, not having money
for a ticket. The Cardinals sent
me money for a ticket and my
expenses and, Of course, it was
up to me to use that money any
way that I wanted so long as
got to Florida in time. Well, I
got there in time, and I rode
trains, but I will not say which
trains or what part of the trains
I rode on. That is a secret.
The Cardinals had a great out
field that year and knew I
couldn't crash through. So did
my bosses. But they were nice
to me and instead of sending me
back to the minors, they let me
stay with them all season so I
could watch and learn how the
big leaguers operated. I got into
80 games, either as a pinch hit
ter or a pinch runner, mostly as
a runner, and I sure did the best
I could to show my bosses that
could steam around those sacks.
But there wasn't any room
for me with the Cardinals in
1929, not even as q pinch-man
and SO they sent me back to
Houston for that year which
was Okay with me because I
wanted action which you don't
get on the bench:
The salary Of 5000 q month
which the Cards paid me was
not cut down when was dropped
to Houston. I had learned q
lot watching those National
Leaguers doing their stuff and
I used my new schooling at HouS-
ton. I made ITS hits and ia
runs in 157 games, stole 43 bases,
fielded for .974 and I was told
to report to Rochester in the In
ternational League in 1880, which
I did. and the salary was boosted
Ito $3.50 q month.