FRIEND AL: Only four more days of sunny California and then we start
back East. We got exhibition games in Yuma and El Paso, Texas, and
Oklahoma City and then we stop over in St. Joe, Missouri, for three
days before we go home. You know Al we open the season in Cleveland and
we won't be in Chi no more than just passing through. We don't play
there till April eighteenth and I guess I will work in that serious all
right against Detroit. Then I will be glad to have you and the boys
come up and watch me as you suggested in your last letter.
I got another letter from the little blonde. She has went back to
Detroit but she give me her address and telephone number and believe
me Al I am going to look her up when we get there the twenty-ninth of
April.
She is a stenographer and was out here with her uncle and aunt.
I had a run in with Kelly last night and it looked like I would have
to take a wallop at him but the other boys seperated us. He is a bush
outfielder from the New England League. We was playing poker. You know
the boys plays poker a good deal but this was the first time I got in.
I was having pretty good luck and was about four bucks to the good and
I was thinking of quitting because I was tired and sleepy. Then Kelly
opened the pot for fifty cents and I stayed. I had three sevens. No one
else stayed. Kelly stood pat and I drawed two cards. And I catched my
fourth seven. He bet fifty cents but I felt pretty safe even if he did
have a pat hand. So I called him. I took the money and told them I was
through.
Lord and some of the boys laughed but Kelly got nasty and begun to pan
me for quitting and for the way I played. I says Well I won the pot
didn't I? He says Yes and he called me something. I says I got a notion
to take a punch at you.
He says Oh you have have you? And I come back at him. I says Yes I have
have I? I would of busted his jaw if they hadn't stopped me. You know
me Al.
I worked here two times once against Los Angeles and once against
Venice. I went the full nine innings both times and Venice beat me four
to two. I could of beat them easy with any kind of support. I walked a
couple of guys in the forth and Chase drops a throw and Collins lets a
fly ball get away from him. At that I would of shut them out if I had
wanted to cut loose. After the game Callahan says You didn't look so
good in there to-day. I says I didn't cut loose. He says Well you been
working pretty near three weeks now and you ought to be in shape to cut
loose. I says Oh I am in shape all right. He says Well don't work no
harder than you have to or you might get hurt and then the league would
blow up. I don't know if he was kidding me or not but I guess he thinks
pretty well of me because he works me lots oftener than Walsh or Scott
or Benz.
I will try to write you from Yuma, Texas, but we don't stay there only
a day and I may not have time for a long letter.
Yours truly, JACK.
_Yuma, Arizona, April 1._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account