Horseshoes | Page 9

seen
a ball hit so hard in my life. No infielder in the world could of stopped
it. But I'll give you a thousand bucks if that ball didn't go kerplunk right
into the third bag and stop as dead as George Washington! It was
child's play for Speed to pick it up and heave it over to Merkle before
Jack got there. If anybody else had been playin' third base the bag
would of ducked out o' the way o' that wallop; but even the bases
themselves was helpin' him out.
The two runs we ought to of had on Jack's smash would of been just
enough to beat 'em, because they got the only run o' the game in their
half--or, I should say, the Lord give it to 'em.

Doyle'd been throwed out and up come Parker, smilin'. The minute I
seen him smile I felt like somethin' was comin' off and I made the
remark on the bench.
Well, the Chief pitched one right at him and he tried to duck. The ball
hit his bat and went on a line between Jack and Eddie. Speed didn't
know he'd hit it till the guys on the bench wised him up. Then he just
had time to get to first base. They tried the hit-and-run on the second
ball and Murray lifts a high fly that Murphy didn't have to move for.
Collins pulled the old bluff about the ball bein' on the ground and Barry
yells, "Go on! Go on!" like he was the coacher. Speed fell for it and
didn't know where the ball was no more'n a rabbit; he just run his fool
head off and we was gettin' all ready to laugh when the ball come down
and Murphy dropped it!
If Parker had stuck near first base, like he ought to of done, he couldn't
of got no farther'n second; but with the start he got he was pretty near
third when Murphy made the muff, and it was a cinch for him to score.
The next two guys was easy outs; so they wouldn't of had a run except
for Speed's boner. We couldn't do nothin' in the ninth and we was
licked.
Well, that was a tough one to lose; but we figured that Matty was
through and we'd wind it up the next day, as we had Plank ready to
send back at 'em. We wasn't afraid o' the Rube, because he hadn't never
bothered Collins and Baker much.
The two lefthanders come together just like everybody'd doped it and it
was about even up to the eighth. Plank had been goin' great and, though
the score was two and two, they'd got their two on boots and we'd hit
ourn in. We went after Rube in our part o' the eighth and knocked him
out. Demaree stopped us after we'd scored two more.
"It's all over but the shoutin'!" says Davis on the bench.
"Yes," I says, "unless that seventh son of a seventh son gets up there
again."

He did, and he come up after they'd filled the bases with a boot, a base
hit and a walk with two out. I says to Davis:
"If I was Plank I'd pass him and give 'em one run."
"That wouldn't be no baseball," says Davis--"not with Murray comin'
up."
Well, it mayn't of been no baseball, but it couldn't of turned out worse
if they'd did it that way. Speed took a healthy at the first ball; but it was
a hook and he caught it on the handle, right up near his hands. It started
outside the first-base line like a foul and then changed its mind and
rolled in. Schang run away from the plate, because it looked like it was
up to him to make the play. He picked the ball up and had to make the
peg in a hurry.
His throw hit Speed right on top o' the head and bounded off like it had
struck a cement sidewalk. It went clear over to the seats and before
McInnes could get it three guys had scored and Speed was on third base.
He was left there, but that didn't make no difference. We was licked
again and for the first time the gang really begun to get scared.
We went over to New York Sunday afternoon and we didn't do no
singin' on the way. Some o' the fellers tried to laugh, but it hurt 'em.
Connie sent us to bed early, but I don't believe none o' the bunch got
much sleep--I know I didn't; I was worryin' too much about the serious
and also about the girl, who hadn't sent me no telegram like I'd ast her
to. Monday mornin' I wired her