DEAR OLD AL: Just a line to let you know we are on our way back East.
This place is in Arizona and it sure is sandy. They haven't got no
regular ball club here and we play a pick-up team this afternoon.
Callahan told me I would have to work. He says I am using you because
we want to get through early and I know you can beat them quick. That
is the first time he has said anything like that and I guess he is
wiseing up that I got the goods.
We was talking about the Athaletics this morning and Callahan says None
of you fellows pitch right to Baker. I was talking to Lord and Scott
afterward and I say to Scott How do you pitch to Baker? He says I use
my fadeaway. I says How do you throw it? He says Just like you throw a
fast ball to anybody else. I says Why do you call it a fadeaway then?
He says Because when I throw it to Baker it fades away over the fence.
This place is full of Indians and I wish you could see them Al. They
don't look nothing like the Indians we seen in that show last summer.
Your old pal, JACK.
_Oklahoma City, April 4._
FRIEND AL: Coming out of Amarillo last night I and Lord and Weaver was
sitting at a table in the dining car with a old lady. None of us were
talking to her but she looked me over pretty careful and seemed to
kind of like my looks. Finally she says Are you boys with some football
club? Lord nor Weaver didn't say nothing so I thought it was up to me
and I says No mam this is the Chicago White Sox Ball Club. She says
I knew you were athaletes. I says Yes I guess you could spot us for
athaletes. She says Yes indeed and specially you. You certainly look
healthy. I says You ought to see me stripped. I didn't see nothing
funny about that but I thought Lord and Weaver would die laughing. Lord
had to get up and leave the table and he told everybody what I said.
All the boys wanted me to play poker on the way here but I told them I
didn't feel good. I know enough to quit when I am ahead Al. Callahan
and I sat down to breakfast all alone this morning. He says Boy why
don't you get to work? I says What do you mean? Ain't I working? He
says You ain't improving none. You have got the stuff to make a good
pitcher but you don't go after bunts and you don't cover first base and
you don't watch the baserunners. He made me kind of sore talking that
way and I says Oh I guess I can get along all right.
He says Well I am going to put it up to you. I am going to start
you over in St. Joe day after to-morrow and I want you to show me
something. I want you to cut loose with all you've got and I want you
to get round the infield a little and show them you aren't tied in that
box. I says Oh I can field my position if I want to. He says Well you
better want to or I will have to ship you back to the sticks. Then he
got up and left. He didn't scare me none Al. They won't ship me to no
sticks after the way I showed on this trip and even if they did they
couldn't get no waivers on me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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