Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-23
They Were the Good Old Days
Vic GouzzoG Game 1 odoy 1 axes
Shorty Hughes Back 81 Years
By Bill Fuchs

~ -
BY Bin Fuchs !
II Jimmy (Shorty) Hughes |
pauses late today before throw
ing out the first ball for the |
ld-Timers" game commence
rating Vic Gauzza Day, It prob |
ably win be TO reflect on the
changes time works on q city |
and its people. And, In ShOrty's |
opinion. all OF the changes
haven't been Tor the better.
Standing on the South Ellipse. |
this short, jovial man who
never has smoked or chewed
tobacco will remember the first
game ever played on that field |
then Just q rough, open space
with woods beyond. where now
you see the Tidal Basin and |
East Potomac Park. That was |
ST years ago.
Shorty can tell you about |
Washington when the city wasn't
5 miles square and those coming
in from Northeast had to pass
through the toll gate at Fifteenth
street and Florida avenue. It
cost q dime or so to enter the
town. which was bounded on the
north by Florida avenue and on
the south by the Anacostia
River
shorty Born 'Out in Sticks"
Shorty was born in 1873 in q
house way out in the sticks. .
The Southeast Branch of the
Washington Boys Club stands
on that very spot today.
we didn't have any electric
cars them" he says. I'VE had
horse cars and nerdics. A herdic
was q small bus with two doors
In back and the driver sat in
front behind the two horses. He
opened and closed the doors with
q strap that hung around his
shoulder. You got six tickets for
q quarter.
1--WE had horse cable cars on
two streets Seventh street and
Pennsylvania avenue. And you
should've seen the Old Hill
horses. They needed two extra
horses-four altogether-to carry
the bus up Capitol Hill.
u wonder how many people
remember where the Washington
ball team used to stay in the
old days when they played at
the Capital City Parkp The
park was at Second and G
streets NV. where the Post
Office is now. The team stayed
at the fremont House at Second
street and Indiana avenue NV,
and ] used to watch them trav-
cling back and forth in big
bus with four big horses.
People Acted Differently Then.
"And where Sixth and Consti-
tuition avenue is now-that's
where the old Pennsylvania sta.
ton was-I remember they had
q star right on the floor where
Garfield fell when he was shot"
People acted differently then,
too, Shorty says. They didn't
spend their free time staring
themselves ga-ga at television
or movie screens.
I'm winter we'd go skating"
Shorty says. WED skate all
the way from where the Sousa
Bridge is sto Alexandra. or
we'd go housekeeping. You
should've seen the horse sleighs
going up and down the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue be-
tween Peace Monument and
Sixth street. They laid that
section of just for that. They
used to have some beautiful
horses then. But we don't have
winters like that now, either.
And in the summer there
were straw rides and trips way
out to the country-trips that
took all day-all the way to /
Suitland."
People Have Getten Soft"
But people have changed since
then, Shorty believes. Families
are not as close. Would YOU
believe it?" he says with sur
prise. Il know people who don't
even know all their aunts and
nieces. Unheard of in the old
days. Families always were get
ting together"
People have gotten soft,
Shorty says. and it's reflected in |
the way they play. Baseball, he
points out as an example. is
hurting because Of it.
Shorty belonged to the hard
school OF baseball with flying
spikes. In his time he was known
as the "Ty Cobb Of the Sand
lots" a rough, tough, hard-play-
ing son Of Irish-born parents.
He saw his first major league
game at the age of 10, looking
through q knothole at the old
Capital City field, and organized
his first team two years later.
calling them the Hoys. after
Dummy Hoy, washington GEN.
terielder and his first baseball
idol.
Shorty wore many different