OCR Text |
Show ill III 111 II li Hill I I f 1 I II I 1 MM I I I -I I I I I H-H"H"H"H"HH ' jj . Expect Big Year for Leach jj tviyi;': jj . c ' I s&j: ;: -"-i c Mm " showing nt the but !! C I Htl(1 'n tlie m'ltl url"8 the 9fl season folks ruther ex-!! ex-!! pected Fred Leach of the 1'hllUes to make his mark In the. league ! ; Inst year. He batted '.330 his first ' full big league season and played a' sprightly gume In the outfield. Hut ' ' Leach rejwrted with a bud case of ! ! flu. got started lute and never did ' lilt his stride of the previous year. At that he did not do so badly, for ; ; he batted over the .3(H) mark and played a steady, helpful game for 1 1 his team. ' ' ' Leach is an earnest, ambitious "! young player. He has a wife and four children out in Jerome, Idaho, and he naturally would take his baseball seriously. He is a natural Fred Leach. !! hitter, and with his Intense desire to excel In his profession he Is .. apt to make himself a -great player In the gume. !! Leach used to be a station agent In the little town of Berryvllle, !! Ark., In the Ozark mountain country, and his one grand diversion , was playing ball. A born athlete, fie soon excelled In the game and made a " reputation through the mountains and the strawberry country as aa ' all-around player of parts fcnd rare promise. Rivalry, hetween village .. ' ball teums In thut country ran high In the days of 10X.V1017 and the " X commercial chilis used to Jolu lu oind help hire Imported playei's to win match games. ... , 7. . .' icn-, i And so It was that, when', the baseball feud between the little town of Qoldeo and Iilnnkvllle llained ifb' wlilte' heat, Golden sent td"Derfy-;;' town for the station agent fd pHoh for Itateum aga4nst. ltd l)Mei.'; " rival In the-bg7o.wn. ' Leach tlirHled to the call and put the''WH'.Uuu forelnan,ln charge f6r''irte''nfteruon.,.When..J)e get to Golden he found.;; II the . most .nondinwrif t jytU, teani that ever a semlpro pitcher had' laid i: cjejt on before or since." !THfe--ce'nUr Melder, u.as sixty years old, -.and. bis; son, age thtrttwin iIa.y?d.shotstop. This was a fair -sample of tlie, . . te'nra that-Lacr was. (tq lead to victory ffgiiln't a gang of huskies from a. much Inrgeriown. "I fleve'r Nvorked-harder. In a-ganie In toy life,-- declared Leach;-' "ariff' 'hever got a; greater, thrill from victory.- W: beat ' I! them 8 toO, sndviu-y fame was made In' the' Ozarks from thatduy pp." !! j Leaoh w,a8(b,op In Sprliigf i'lfl," Md.'.Mtt -UtOO. At the age of seven-; teen he got a Job in' RerVytoWn, Ark., wl.ln. the railroad. He married a Rerrytown girl and two years later moved to Jerome, Idaho, to take a " Job Is a telegrapher. He had only a slow curve as a pitcher, but as a "m batsman he could hit a fast curve, so his playing out West attracted attention. -Leach Is a likable fellow and has set his heart on making a success of his profession. His 1020 promise may bloom in 1028. Aty- " way the Jerome telegrapher will muke a. desperate try for stardom. fi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 |