Original: When Gaedel had hinted to Veeck that he might be tempted to swing at a pitch , the owner promised to bring a rifle to the game and shoot him if he tried ( in the Thurber story , the midget can not resist swinging , grounds out , and the team loses the game ) .
Simplified: When Gaedel had hinted to Veeck that he might be tempted to swing at a pitch , the owner promised to bring a rifle to the game and shoot him if he tried .