Show II Seeing Big League II BASEBALL By BILLY EVANS Sportswriter Big League Lc gu and General Manager M ncr of oC the Cleveland Indian Indians It seems as os If It most of or the lie note note- noteworthy noteworthy noteworthy worthy Incidents of ot my first couple of years In the American league involved cd either the St Louis Louts Detroit or Chi Chi- Chicago Chicago Chicago cago teams Now I come to my first and only collision with a pop bottle bottle- bottle and It happened In St St Louis And what a n never forgotten experience experience experience ence that wash was wag I 1 It was a n day later that same year year- year 1907 1001 Detroit and ancl St Louis hot In the pen pennant ant fight had hooked up In one of those crucial games that always draw v the crowds and call for special ground rules The fans that day had bad overflowed d Into the outfield and were roped off The rules were that any ball hit Into the crowd was to go go for tor tora fora fora a two two-b two base se hit Any ball halI lilt hit out ot of the park of course went for tor a home run Now and Now and this little detail had an Important bearing on the events e of that memorable day In day In In the extreme corner of the left field fence thero was a little hole through which the concession men passed their sand sand- sandwIches sandwiches and soft drinks and such There was a g gate ic to the opening and the gate usually was kept closed It If It had remained shut throughout hout the game everything would have been aU all allright allright As right t for me that dayAs day As It was the mere fact tact that It was left open for a awhile awhile awhile while nearly cost me my life Late In the game g with St St Louis at bat Harry Rowell Browns Drowns pitcher came up Home runs are unusual for pitchers to make especially In tight games But Howell saw one to hIs liking swung swing hard harl and connected The ball went on a line straight ht for forthe forthe forthe the left field fence and without dev dev- deviating deviating an Inch from Its course disappeared disappeared through the tho little opening I was watching that ball like a hawk Naturally I expected to see It land In the crowd But I saw It disappear plainly enough and when Howell reached second and stopped I waved him home And then the Inevitable Ine argument I ImmedIately the Detroit players rushed at Bill me-Bill me Bill Coughlin Germany Schaefer Davey ey Jones Hughie Jen Jen- Jen Jennings Jen s and nil all the rest of the team JennIngs course of-course of course as manager was chief spokesman Home run I 1 Are you craz crazy Bill Dont Don't the ground rules say that any I ball hit Into t the the crowd go goes s for two bases Come on now v Hughie you saw that ball Didn't It go through the hole bole In the fence Jennings was noth nothing ng If It not honest Yes Yes Bill mh I did But Its It's still a two two base wo base hit hit Well If If It t went through the hole In Inthe inthe Inthe the fence then thea It was hit out of the playIng field and as It didn't go Into the crowd Its It's lt n a home run The ball went out of tho the lot Hughie All right but hut what right has hns that hole got In tint that fencer fence At tills thIs hits point many of ot the fans fans see see- seeIng seeing seeing ing the Detroit team clustered around me In argument began to jeer at Jennings and his Ills players Pop bot- bot bottles bot bot- bottles bottles began to fall 00 on the diamond but we paid little attention to them them Then Jennings for the first time seemed to realize that we were In danger standing out on the diamond diamonda a target for the hundreds of or bottles that were flying through the lie air lIe He glanced around him Wed better get out of ot this Bill before somebody I gets ets k killed III ed And then Look then Look out Bill Bill- Bill he crIed I too saw It coming coming straight nt at but me-but me but too late Inte Crash 1 I There was a terrible racking sound In my ears as the bottle struck a few v Inches away from my temple A sudden darting pain and the world world seemed to drift dritt away awu from me And then then-ob- ob oblivion livion The bottle I learned learned later d Into a thousand pieces and Jennings although h he had hind ducked was cut badly about the th face tace by the flying glass 0 CC at l 1 1130 no r Bell Pell t |