Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-09

Fans StengeI Twice
Brooklyn was loaded with
stars, including Jake Daubert.
Zach Wheat and Casey Stengel.
But you're hearing from a guy
who went out that day and licked
them, 81. allowing only five hits.
Stengel struck out twice that
game And to this day. I kid the
now great manager of the New
York Yankees about being my
breathing spell" in the game
and that it was him who kept
me in the International League.
Newark kept both Gaskel and
me, and that led to trouble. The
whole team was ripped by dis
sension. What it amounted to
was a revival of the Civil War
about half the players were
Southerners and the other half
from the North. The tension in
creased to the point where guys
were fighting in the clubhouse
and It even got under one fell
lows skin SO deep that he pulled
one of the rottenest tricks ! ever
heard about.
We had a catcher named -Hig-
gins, Southern boy who was
related in some way to my rival,
Gaskel. Prince and were Strug-
Cling to stay with the club-not
really fighting each other but
just giving it everything when
either of us got chance to pitch.
But after a few weeks. Gaskel
was not making too good an
impression and Higgins, who
clearly was roofing for Gaskel,
got more surly than ever with
me whenever I was pitching.
began to think the whole thing
was proving on my mind, for
was straining and wheeling and
having tougher time getting
batters out, even on days when
I had my good stuff.
Umpire Reveals Sabotage. 4
One afternoon while l was
warming up to pitch against
Buffalo, an umpire named Bier
halter walked over and asked in
a low voice: Who's catching
you today?"
Higgins, I guess" I replied.
kid" he said, don't mention
I told you, but you don't have a
chance with that guy catching
you"
What do you mean?" I asked,
startled.
Remember last Sunday in
Jersey City when you got
knocked out? If you recall, l |
was umpifing behind the plate. !
Higgins was telling each batter
what kind of pitch you were I
about to throw"
I talked my manager into |
me that day and won. |
never said a word to Higgins. !
Later Gaskel was released.
/ was really hot the next sea-
son (l9l4. Pitching regularly.
I won Is games. a very good rec
ord for both Schacht and the
International League, which at
that time boosted such future big
league pitchers as Herb Pennock,
Babe Ruth, Carl Mays, Ernie
Shore. Joe Oechinger and Leon
Galore. Despite my 1876 pounds,
even took to pitching double
headers.
It's funny but probably al
ways will be true in baseball
that some pitchers will beat
certain clubs and never beat
others. While I could never win
at Montreal. it was just the OPP
oosite against Baltimore, which
consistently had the strongest
team in the league. Baltimore
Manager Jack Dunn, who was
one of the best judges of young
players ever met. developed
such great athletes as Ruth,
Shore. Lefty Grove, Joe Boley, /
George Earnsh shaw, Tommy
Thomas, Fritz Maisel. Merv
Jacobson. Jack Bentley, Max
Bishop, Bob Sharkey. Alan Rus
;ell. Jim McAvoy, and many ;
others. And yet I almost al
ways stopped Baltimore cold.
From the book; My Own Particular Il
screwball: Copyright, 1853, by All
schacht; Distributed by Doubleday svn-
iieate.l