Alibi Ike | Page 4

one acrost on him and he was called
out.
"What do you know about that!" he says afterward on the bench. "I lost
count. I thought it was three and one, and I took a strike."
"You took a strike all right," says Carey. "Even the umps knowed it
was a strike."
"Yes," says Ike, "but you can bet I wouldn't of took it if I'd knew it was
the third one. The score board had it wrong."

"That score board ain't for you to look at," says Cap. "It's for you to hit
that old pill against."
"Well," says Ike, "I could of hit that one over the score board if I'd
knew it was the third."
"Was it a good ball? " I says.
"Well, no, it wasn't," says Ike. "It was inside."
"How far inside?" says Carey.
"Oh, two or three inches or half a foot," says Ike.
"I guess you wouldn't of threatened the score board with it then," says
Cap.
"I'd of pulled it down the right foul line if I hadn't thought he'd call it a
ball," says Ike.
Well, in New York's part o' the innin' Doyle cracked one and Ike run
back a mile and a half and caught it with one hand. We was all sayin'
what a whale of a play it was, but he had to apologize just the same as
for gettin' struck out.
"That stand's so high," he says, "that a man don't never see a ball till it's
right on top o' you."
"Didn't you see that one? "ast Cap.
"Not at first," says Ike; "not till it raised up above the roof o' the stand."
"Then why did you start back as soon as the ball was hit?" says Cap.
"I knowed by the sound that he'd got a good hold of it," says Ike.
"Yes," says Cap, "but how'd you know what direction to run in?"
"Doyle usually hits 'em that way, the way I run," says Ike.

"Why don't you play blindfolded?" says Carey.
"Might as well, with that big high stand to bother a man," says Ike. "If I
could of saw the ball all the time I'd of got it in my hip pocket."
Along in the fifth we was one run to the bad and Ike got on with one
out. On the first ball throwed to Smitty, Ike went down. The ball was
outside and Meyers throwed Ike out by ten feet.
You could see Ike's lips movin' all the way to the bench and when he
got there he had his piece learned.
"Why didn't he swing?" he says.
"Why didn't you wait for his sign?" says Cap.
"He give me his sign," says Ike.
"What is his sign with you?" says Cap.
"Pickin' up some dirt with his right hand," says Ike.
"Well, I didn't see him do it," Cap says.
"He done it all right," says Ike.
Well, Smitty went out and they wasn't no more argument till they come
in for the next innin'. Then Cap opened it up.
"You fellas better get your signs straight," he says.
"Do you mean me? " says Smitty.
"Yes," Cap says. "What's your sign with Ike?"
"Slidin' my left hand up to the end o' the bat and back," says Smitty.
"Do you hear that, Ike?" ast Cap.

"What of it?" says Ike.
"You says his sign was pickin' up dirt and he says it's slidin' his hand.
Which is right?"
"I'm right," says Smitty. "But if you're arguin' about him goin' last
innin', I didn't give him no sign."
"You pulled your cap down with your right hand, didn't you? " ast Ike.
"Well, s'pose I did," says Smitty. "That don't mean nothin'. I never told
you to take that for a sign, did I?"
"I thought maybe you meant to tell me and forgot," says Ike. They
couldn't none of us answer that and they wouldn't of been no more said
if Ike had of shut up. But wile we was settin' there Carey got on with
two out and stole second clean.
"There!" says Ike. "That's what I was tryin' to do and I'd of got away
with it if Smitty'd swang and bothered the Indian."
"Oh!" says Smitty. "You was tryin' to steal then, was you? I thought
you claimed I give you the hit and run."
"I didn't claim no such a thing," says Ike. "I thought maybe you might
of gave me a sign, but I was goin' anyway because I thought I had a
good start."
Cap prob'ly would of hit him with a bat, only just about that time Doyle
booted one on Hayes and Carey come acrost with the run that tied.
Well, we go into the ninth finally, one and one,