Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1952-03-25
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One day about thirty years
ago a Madison County farm
boy was busily plowing. AS he
rode the tractor around the
field for the umptieth time,
he was hailed from the road
by a friend. The boy got off
the tractor and strode to the
fence. The friend got out of
his fine automobile and said
to the boy, Get into the
house and change your clothes
-. we're playing a ball game
today"
The boy did as he was told
and when he arrived at the
house and told his father
what was up, the father said,
Son, you're going to end up
with patches on the seat of
your pants playing this here
baseball" The boy went about
changing his clothes and soon
he and his friend were whisk-
ing along in the big LaSalle
toward Springfield.
Now, way back there,
Springfield was a farm club
of the mighty st. Louis Card
inals whose fortunes were be-
ing guided by one Deacon"
Bill McKechnie. The Spring
field club was going to play
the Cards and the Deacon was
looking for new material. 1t
was a big day for the kid al
right.
As they drove ward
Springfield the friend said,
Take it easy on that throw
ing arm today. You can throw
a ball a country mile, know,
but take it easy" The kid
played left field and could
throw that ball and could hit
EN- too. This was THE day.
1t turned out that the kid
got three out of the six hits
made by the Springfield club.
Although the score ended 8 to
] in favor of the big league
outfit, the kid looked good ex-
cept for one mistake. Even
old Jim Bottomely told him,
Nice hittin' kid" and patted
him on the back. Like said
the kid could throw the ball
a country mile and being but
an 1S-year-old, his judgment
failed him only once and that
was when he fielded a well
hit ball and, in a gesture of
pure youthfulness, heaved it
in all the way but some
thing went wrong and the ball
went clear over the backstop.
Deacon McKechnie bounced
out of the dugout and bel
lowed That boys got
a million dollar arm and a
five cent headn These death
less words have survived the
years. But he can still
throw that old ball and can
prove it even now.
But to get back to the ball
game the kid got three
hits out of four times up and
batted against such stalwarts
as Tommy Dyer, Jess Haines
and a guy named Littlejohn.
Struck out once, says the
kid, "A high one on the inside
pitched by Tommy Dyer did
it. | bounced about nine fouls
off of every part of the park
and the crowd started throw
ing pop bottles. Maybe l got
ratified but Dyer got credit
for the strike out"
The kid isn't sorry and he
still loves the game. He was
one of the few who could
handle a baseball with either
hand. Like he says, II used
to fog 'em in with my left as
well as my right. Guess /
showed off a little but then
a 18-year-old kid hasn't much
sense anyway. John Dooley
and Pete Gaynard were in the
stands that day and THEY
liked mel
The man was Bob Bescht
who played with the Cardi-
mails, Giants, and the Cincin-
natl Reds and who set the
National League record for
stolen bases which still stands.
The kid was All Cauley, a
staunch lover of the game of
baseball and who land we
think this is a fine thing), at
so, has no regrets. AL works
at the Prison farm now and
he gives every man a new
necktie upon his release.
II