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Show BONEHSAD PLAY THAT WON GAME "The worst 'bonehead' I ever made I was kidded into making, and it acted act-ed as a boomerang and won a game of ball for us from Happy Hogan 8 Vcnion lunch," says Chick Gandil. "I was playing then with the Sacramento team and Vernon was badly crippled j up, so Hap, who never loses a chance j tc pull off a trick, had to go out and play first base as well as manage the team. "In the ninth Inning Vernon had us beaten by one run. I think the score j was 5 to 4, and with one out the batter ahead of me singled and I followed fol-lowed It with a hard hit to center. We wero playing the hit and run, and when the ball went out to Carlisle 1 1 figured I would take two bases on the hit, but he got ovor to It so rapidly rap-idly I was forced to turn and sprint back to first. I don't know what I (as thinking about, but I guess I took it for granted that the runner ahead of me was slow in starting. I thought sure he would bo on third, and as 1 slid back to first I did not even look at second base to see whore he was. It was a pretty close play at first, and Hap kicked for the decision, but didn't get it. He came back to the base and said: '1 suppose you'll steal He'll call you safe anyhow.' Maybe that put the idea in my head. Told Him To. "Hap was sore, kicked, the base, and walked hack, lotclng me get a big lead from -the baso. I kept glanc- lug back at him for fear ho'd try to pull off some trick on me, and hei kept yelling, 'Go on and steal; he'll' I call vou safe If we catch you a mile ' "On the first ball pitched 1 stole, and stole easily only to find that I had stolen second with the other runner run-ner perched there. The ball was thrown to catch us after I was safe, and wo both were caught between bases, and while they were running us around some one threw wild and one run scored, while I went to third and scored on a fly, wlnnlns the game. Hop Was Sore. "Hogan certainly was sore. He yelled yell-ed about the luck of a bonehead busher. The truth is ho had pulled a clever play. He saw that 1 did not know second was occupied and kept kidding me ind giving mo a long lead just to keep me from looking at second, sec-ond, and . then .after he had pulled off the play, it turned against him and gave us the game. 'Besides that, it always taught me not to take tain?s for granted, but to hae a look around before pulling any more of those John Andersons." |