The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-06-13
BEHIND
HOME PLATE
INTERSTATE
LEAGUE STANDINGS
Last Nights Games Not Included
By DOUG STEWART


Through Tuesday night the Owls
had completed 81 double plays-22
at home and Is on the road.
Weather permitting, the Owls
were scheduled to open a five-day
home schedule last night. They
meet Trenton in three single games,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
with Sunbury coming in on Satur-
day for single game Saturday
night Oadiies Night and a double
header on Sunday afternoon.
Although the Owls came home
from their road trip in fourth
place, they were just AZ games out
of first place, four games back of
the second place Trenton Giants,
and just half a game behind the
third place Sunbury Yankees. Since
they meet both Trenton and Sun
bury on their current home stay,
they could easily be back in second
place (and perhaps in frst by the
time Sunday night rolls around.
Bunny Grifiths told me before
the season opened that he did not
look for a runaway race in the
league this season and that whoever
beat the Owls would know they had
been in the race, and I am more and
more inclined to believe him. While
there are other teams in the league
with more power at the plate, the
Owls are right on top when it comes
to hustling and refusing to quit,
and just as important, they are get
ting good pitching,
Don't get chicken hearted and
give up on those Owls just because
they lost a double header to Will
mington on Tuesday night. The
Blue Rocks have always been a
tough team to beat on their home
lot, but remember that we beat
them double header when they
were here on May IS.
$500
Every time I think about that
game with Allentown a week ago
last night, I get to thinking about
those fans - and there were plenty
of them - who went home in the
ninth inning before Charlie Fitz-
gerald hit that four-bagger over the
right field wall to tie the score. I'll
bet they kicked themselves all over
the lot next morning when they
read that the Owls finally won the
game in the 18th inning and that
they had missed, not only the most
exciting finish of the season, but
also the Owls first extra innings
game.
Oh well, one of these days they'll
wake up to the fact that a game is
never lost until the last man is
out
And talking about fans! You'd
think that the sports writers in the
press box, sitting there night after
night, pounding out their stories of
the games, would just take each
game in their stride, but don't fool
yourself There aren't any more
rabid ball fans in the park than
that gang in the Hagerstown Sta
dunn press box.
When the visiting batter skies a
high foul, Frank Colley's challenge
1t Baby" can be heard all over the
park, and the other night, when
a home run was hit while Dick
Kelly was answering the phone,
Dick was so mad that he had missed
it, that he just about tore up his
score book. And as for yours truly,
well there probably isn't a fan in
the stands that does more second
guessing than I do.
And oh yes, I nearly forgot
Whitley" who handles the balls and
strikes indicator, is just about the
most rabid ball fan I've run across
In long time. Whitley has been
working in the press box since back
in the Blue Ridge League days and,
with his cap on backwards, he just
sits there, switching on the balls and
strikes and chewing his cigar to bits
when the Owls are losing, or when
an Owls pitcher cuts loose with a
high one that goes sailing out of
the lot.
A hearty welcome to "Bill' Diehl, |
who takes over the business manage
ment of the Hagerstown Ball Club, |
during Mr.. Sterling's illness.