The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-09-07
BEHIND
HOME PLATE
By DOUG STEWART

Jay Simmons, the Braves always
hustling utility infelder, was with
out question, the hero of Hagers-
towns victory in the first game of
the play-off series with Trenton at
the Stadium on Tuesday night (for
the full story of the game see my
column, Keeping Up With The
Braves" on page six.
Inserted into the lineup by mana
ger Dorman in the ninth, as a pinch /
hitter for Harbaugh, after Harbaugh t
had a count of two strikes and no
balls on him, Jay let Micciche's first
offering go by for ball and then
slammed the next pitch into leftfield i
for solid double, driving in the two
runs that tied up the ball game, and
then scored the winning run himself.
The Braves win proved to the hilt
the old adage, that game is never
lost until the last man is out in the
ninth, for when Hagerstown came
to bat in the bottom half of the
ninth, they were not only trailing
by two runs, but Micciche had shut
them out in the first eight innings
on four singles and was facing the
bottom half of the lineup.
When Gene Raney, owner of the
Hagerstown Baseball Club, assured
the baseball fans of the community
last Spring that he and the members
of his managerial staff would do
everything in their power to give
Hagerstown a ball club that they
could be proud of, he meant every
thing he said, and the standing of the
Braves at the end of the season (they
finished in second place) is ample
proof that he has kept his word.
When the team with which the
Club had a working agreement-the
Boston Braves-suddenly seemed to
have lost interest in the Hagerstown
Club (and this happened right in the
thick of the pennant driveJ Mr. Ran
ey didn't hesitate to go out in the
open market to buy the players
necessary to put the team back in
the running after their sudden
slump.
In fairness to the fans it should
also be said that they have backed
Raney up to the hilt, as the final
figures will show. The Club had an
attendance, mark for the season of
close to 10000, and that will be sew
eral thousand more than any other
club can boast of.
1t it long way until next April
when the 1851 season starts, but
have no hesitation in saying now
that Gene Raney will come up with
as good or probably better ball club
than he had in his initial year, and
1 also have no hesitation in pre-
dieting that the fans will give him
the same 100 per cent support that
they have given him this year.
The Braves were only able to get
in 1876 of the scheduled 140 games,
The games that could not be play
ed( all of them postponed because of
rain) were: at Lancaster, at Tren-
ton and 2 here with York.
The pennant race in the American
League continues to be just about as
close as last years,
The schedule from here on out is
all in Detroit's favor as they will
play most of their remaining games
at home, but / still believe that the
Boston Red Sox, although they are
31z games off the pace as this is
written TUESDAY afternoon), will
wind up on top.
In the National League the Phil.
lies will have to run into an awful
slump to lose out. They are game.
out in front and although they lost {
double-header on Labor Day to the
Giants, the second-place Brooklyn
Dodgers (whom / picked in the be
ginning of the season to win thu
pennanD lost a pair also, and 20,
can mark it down in your book tina
these youngsters, under Sawyer
management, are not going to lie
that setback get their goat
Congratulations to the Boonsbor,
Yellowjackets of the Washington
County League on winning the pen
nant for the fifth straight year.
Congratulations also to Al Gard
ner, Jr., on winning the Fountain
Head Country Club golf champion
ship for the second year in a row
and to Mrs. Woodrow Harner on win
ming the Clubs women's champion
chiv1