Show I HOME RUN HAGGERTY BY WILLIAM Lt GEORGE DALEY 1 I You might say that Big Mouth Beasley on the tho was the best bost outfield outfielder er CL in the league because he heas was as the only one there that ever over had suc sue succeeded ceded In stopping one of my famous home run wallops He Ho did it all aU right which was glory glor enough for a lifetime in that hat league but Josh Hapgood never would admit that he was the best leather hunter He always stuck up for or Farmer flute Rufo Gibson the boy wo we got from Sorry I I bellum b college where wh re he was released for tor making home runs which they recognize as a scientific ball up there It took such a hold on Josh the discussion ad n a to which was the tho better bolter man that he dedicated this to Rute Rufe on pago page 48 of ot the History of the league Longue J 1 Where Boasley stumbles Gibson leaps Rufus hurdles Beasley creeps Where Gibson chortles Beasley cries Rufo flute gobbles liners Beus Beas muffs mutts flies tIles Whore Boasley singles Rufo takes two Whore Beas fleas Is 18 tagged tag ed Gib steals a few tow At bat bot in field flold on walk walle or run Our Rufo Rufe has got Jim Beasley Jush used to explain to us when we got talking about this poem is the tho past tense of o the verb skin You dont often otten see soo it in print but its perfectly proper The verb runs runs this t way SkIn skinned skinning skinned ned finally the It be bo proper for me mo to say Ruie Rufe had him a mile be wrong wron Id d have to say any skinned But the way Its UM used In that little epic its jest lost proper whatever them jealous guys gUS on the tho other teams may say about it But to get to Big Mouth routh Beasley Bensley He was a good outfielder there was no doubt of or that a 0 fast runner sure on the catch and a good hitter Ho He was the kind of at atman man that would have made mado a hit in the big league only for his mouth Alas Ho He had a mouth that when he opened it you ou see the top of his head cad nor his chin nor even his ears It was wa jest nIl all lips an teeth te th an tongue an ann ana ana a n gash Wen Ven he kep kept his mouth shut he a guy U but when he opened it everything was off ot it 4 He got acquainted with a girl once and by talking through his teeth t eth an other otherwise otherwise wise his facial disfigurement ho homade homade homade made quite a hit with her One day dar she told him her pet funny tunny story and nd he Was as In a u fix lix If It he laugh he knew hed hod offend oC nd her h l an if he did laugh he knew hed be queered forever Anyway he laughed and she sho fainted on the tho spot tho the kind of or a mouth he lie had But Buth ii It helped him on the ball field Nobody in any an of the clubs of the league could come como anywhere an whore near him in Jawing the tho umpires Ho He cd cOd start that mouth an go way wa an nn leave it an then come comeback com comeback back an be goin yet ret Green umpires ud get seared scared jest like Uke the girl did wen wenho he ho opened his face for tor a real loud bellow Finally there came the game which was wasti to ti decide tho the 1904 of oC the league and the Alfalfas and the were on the tho schedule to fight it out The game was on our grounds and tho the whole town just emptied itself It elt into the ballground Every store was closed and all tho the saloons and even cven tho the railroad station We Va were in fine trim and so were the tho and it surprise any an body bod when the tho game ran tan along without a sign of a run for eight innings Three times in that game had Big Mouth Beas Beasley Beasley ley Icy scampered back and pulled drives away from me him leaning across the tho fence and anybody but me would havo have been boen discouraged On a single a steal g wild pitch and a fly they got a run in the first half hall of ot the tho ninth and it was up to us to stop them in our half Get em om back yells Josh Hapgood We Va got to tie Uti It at lea least t Get busy So Rube Rufe Gibson singles Brownie fouls out and Merrit fans Its up to me and andas ands andas as s I come up to the plate there thore is a si silence silence silence lence all over the grounds only broke by the Infielders Infielder to their pitcher an tellin him how easy I Iam Iam Iam am Now I was through hammering out high ones for Big Mouth Beasley to run rUll out and gobble up I had determined on a slash on a dead line to bring in a run and tie the score oven even if It I get a ahome ahme ahome home run So when the pitcher handed up UJ one I liked I hammered it five feet I over the tho shortstops head like a streak i of ot lightning and started for first firstI I Gibson sails for tor the plate The audience leaps to its Il feet and gives one joyous I yelp and then there thAre Is a hush Flying In from from deep left is Big Mouth Beasley Beasle bent on getting that ball on the fly My lI how he did run His feet touch the top of the grass He reaches it If he holds It the oham cham gone Theres a crash The ball bali with pounds of beef behind it is j goin gem fast Hes gain goin fast against it The Impact as his hands an tho the ball come together is too great for human The sphere smashes through his fingers an Disappears In his mouth Fact He was yellin I got it as his hands reached the ball an he did get it His mouth was open and in it went and into his throat and stuck there Gibson whisks across the plate with tho th run that tics ties and I r tear for third JOsh JOah sends me mo across the plate too though the people are arc yelling that the tho game is over and that theve won wonA Attention A yells Abe the empire Wot for yells the people three out and they try tr to git the ball out o mouth an pat him on the back for tor a winner two an a out says sa s the empire Two an a half yells ells the people Yep says Abe Abc Two an a half That ball ban Is half k an half halt lost Half Hal hatched makes Haggerty half out but hes got to git some credit for losin the ball which is a home run So he gits half a 0 run aa as you OU fellers can only see Beo half halt o the ball ban In Beasle s an cant reach rench it Two 1 0 an a half out an the i score Is one an a half to one in favor faor fa or of Alfalfa n a they the win winVe We Ve had to protect the empire fm Im them enraged but the best of or it was that Big Mouth M uth Beasley hol ler but only say goo goo like a n kid kidan kidan an look mad like he was gaIn goin gem to bust busta a blood vessel They pried the ball out with a bat handle later but It was too late We Ye had been awarded the cham by a half halt a run That game stands as a record Copyright 1906 by b George William Daley |