The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-05-26
BEHIND
HOME PLATE
BY DOUG STEWART


the third baseman, and Hackenburg,
the pitcher, sent to the Owls from
the Saginaw, Michigan Glass A Club,
Manager Wheaton has decided that
neither player will strengthen his
club, and so they have been return
ed to Michigan
Poffenberger has been placed on
the suspended list without pay, so
that the club is now pretty well
down to the limit allowed by the
league.
Mr.. Sterling tells me that he and
woody" are in constant touch with
Ossie Bluege, head of the Washing
ton Senators farm system, and feel
certain that should any weaknesses
develop in the club, they will be
Immediately strengthened.
AS this is written (Tuesday after
noon) the Owls are in a viz
tual tie with Harrisburg for fourth
place, and are only four and one
half games behind Wilmington, who
is on top.
The Hagerstown Lions Club put
on a Baseball Day" at their regu-
lar weekly luncheon on Tuesday,
and l was privileged to be a guest
at the luncheon.
The speaker was Frank Colley,
sports editor of the Morning Her
aid, and l wish you all could have
been there to hear him, for he really
put on show. Frank, who has a
fund of baseball stories, born of his
years as a pitcher in professional
baseball, kept his audience in roars
of laughter from the moment he be-
gan to speak until he sat down.
To me, the funniest story he told
was that of a shortstop in a league
up in the mining districts of Penn
sylvania who backed up to take
an easy fly in short left field, only
to drop down to his shoulders in an
old coal hole, with the ball dropping
safely and all the runners on base
scoring.
Another one of Franks Believe
It-Or-Not" stories was about the
outfielder trotting out to his posi-
ton, unaware that the inning had
started, when suddenly a ball hit
him In the back. He quickly put
his hand behind him and found the
ball in his glove, and the man was
out!
Oren Sterling, president of the
Owls, also spoke briefly and gave
some interesting anecdotes of the
days when he ran a semi-pro team
in Pennsylvania.
The program was in charge of
Father Simon Kenny.
have been neglectful of the
Hagerstown High School baseball
club in this column, so l take this
opportunity of congratulating the
boys on very fine season.
Monday afternoon they played
the Martinsburg High School Bull
dogs, and won the game 81, to give
them the remarkable seasons rec
ord of II wins out of IL starts The
only game that they lost was 50
decision to the Maryland University
Freshman team on Saturday.
go
was indeed sorry to hear of the
death of Norman McLain, president
and part owner of the Lancaster
Red Roses. Mr.. McLain, who had
been in i'll health for some time,
died on Monday
1t was my pleasure to meet Mr..
McLain many times during the past
few years, and he was a fine gentle
@AaAAA - SNNA bllClO w do OIlS. N1I. MC-
Lain and his father and brother took
over the Lancaster Club in 1912.
Eddie Ancherico, the lefthander
who was with the Owls back in 1916
when he was only II years of age,
was sent in last week by Charlotte,
and pitched against Sunbury, at
Sunbury, on Saturday night. AL
though he lost the game by a score
of 20, | am told that with any sort
of break he could have won it,
and that he is a vastly improved
pitcher after three more years ex-
perience in organized ball, and he
unquestionably will be winner in
this league.
The ''fiints" used in cigarette
lighters are not real flint, but an