Evening star., 1940-05-12
BASE On BRAINS
bY Duane Decker
utedb bye h.~hr
bV Duane Decker
Mvsfrotsd BY CorI MvsIlsr

CorI Mvellsr
break into the lineup It's another hunch"
There's something want to tell you,"
said She shook her head, impatiently.
Nov don't be gloomy gus, Gloomy Gus"
She smiled. Has my woman's intuition ever
given you bum steer?'
She was remarkable woman; she looked as
delicate as flower but she talked like the
Gas House Gang - with almost as much
scrap and baseball sense This intuition of hers
was just one of a group of amazing things
about her. But her intuition was certainly
on the fritz today. knew didn't have the
heart to tell her about Iowa right then.
Baby" l said, in that yellow business
you look as beautiful as triple play"
And Johnny - when you get in the game,
take chances! Give them the old Madigan
pepper And show 'em how you're the lippiest
guy in the league, my Wonderful One"
You're very silly girl but love you"
And watch for a chance to pull your
hidden-ball trick. Let Jug Slavin see how
slick you do that If this lug named Now
bray
Did you hear me say loved you?"
did you hear what l said about your
hidden-ball trick?" We glared at each other
Did marry wife, said, ''or did
marry Connie Mack?" Moving off, started
to laugh at her and heard her shouting after
me, And get set to 60 after that three
nothing pitch! Remember now!'
WHEN she told me how to play baseball
that way, l always laughed at her, but it
really wasn't such a joke. Back in the minors,
she'd figured out lot of plays, before they
happened, that I'd never seen coming - and
signaled me into them. 1t was very funny.
Sometimes l thought she knew more baseball
than did She studied everything at ball
park 50 hard. read all the sport dope. She
knew things like what Durocher had hit with
the Cards and what Hubbell's earned average
had been in 1895 and what second -baseman
in the league couldn't pivot on double play.
walked over to the backstop cage and
swung couple of bats, waiting my turn Now
III
way he'd been looking at me all spring. GO
ing to polish up your bunting, Tiny?" he said.
He always called me Tiny - nobody else ever
did - because he knew hated the nickname.
Not that ever gave him the satisfaction of
losing my cork about it.
Il may bust few long ones today" l
said Il feel in the mood"
I'll be looking for those long ones, Tiny"
he said. He laughed.
That was the way it had been between
Mowbray and me since the first day of spring
training down in Glensota. hadn't wanted
it to be that way. But with Mowbray - well
- take that first day in Glensota. l was
watching him bang practice pitches against
the left field fence, admiring the way he could
do it. So when he stepped back | said, Some
day I'd like to have somebody show me how
to do that" He turned and looked down at
me in that cool, amused way and he said,
You'll have to eat an awful lot of breakfast
runchies, first. Tiny Do that and come
back and see me after"
From then on he showed nothing except
contempt for me. Of course it was dogfght
between us for the third-base job - the
Robins veteran third haseman was all washed
up. And with the Robins promising to be
pennant contenders, it was the chance of
lifetime for either Mowbray or me. Not
for both.